Descent of an Angel
by Ardra
Summary: After the War, Duo's taken, locked away. No one thinks anything of it until five years later. 1x2x1 much later , 3x4x3, 5xs 5x? Hinting/visuals of beatings, rape, and dramatic content. *Re-done* *this version is discontinued*
1. Prologe

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing, save for maybe the plot and a few OCs, but not the G-boys, or any names that you may recognize in this fiction.

Author's note: I am still working on 100 Years, but I wanted to get this done, and have something posted on this before I've forgotten about it once more. I meant to post this yesterday, but it was forgotten. Hopefully, you all enjoy this one. It's going to take me a bit to get it up, since I'll be working on this fiction whenever I just want a break from 100 Years to think.

Enjoy.

* * *

Descent of an Angel

By Ardra

Prologue

Violet eyes looked up to the dark sky as it lit up with fireworks. Everyone let out a whoop of joy, making the deafening sound of the fireworks pale in comparison. Everyone was so happy now, the war was over, no one would have to worry about something like this ever again. Relena's idea of celebration didn't include people that she didn't know. Most of them were dignitaries, dressed beautifully, twirling around as they danced, stopping only to cheer as another firework lit up the night sky like a light.

A smile stretched across the long haired male's face. He liked fireworks; the way they contrasted to the paleness of the moon; seemed to offset it. The man on the moon seemed to have hair with it, or a mustache, depending on which way the sparks fell. There was nothing like this on the colonies. The moon was so dead looking, like someone set a bomb off on it, or lit it on fire and let it burn to the ground. It was too close. Nothing looked as spectacular on the colonies as it did on Earth. It was too dangerous to let off fireworks in such a small area like a colony. Truthfully, before today, he'd never seen the blazing lights that appeared after explosion of gunpowder. He'd seen so many things explode in his life, but never deliberately for pleasure.

Shaking his head a little, he turned and headed back into the party. He moved through the people without touching any of them. He used every method of stealth that he knew so that he would be away from everyone. Truthfully, even though he smiled on the outside, on the inside, he was more than a little depressed that he'd never have to fight again. He wouldn't ever be able to just take Deathscythe into battle and use him to do what was needed to survive. He would have to be a normal person now. What was a normal person, anyways? Someone who held down a steady job, purchased a house, a car, a dog, married someone, popped out a couple kids, watch the kids grow up then just fade away?

Dismissing the thought, Duo slipped up next to his fellow ex-Gundam pilot, Trowa Barton. Duo mused silently on what might happen to this guy. He'd always been quiet, never really interested in what was going on around him, yet was so alert of it all that it was painful. He'd never met anyone that could be so intuned with a conversation yet have absolutely no interest in what the people were saying. He could tell you what they were talking about, and sometimes spout out what they'd said, but he wouldn't have been able to tell you who said it at the time, unless he thought it was a vital piece of information that he would need for later on. This was something that wasn't going to be needed now that the war was over. His appearance in its self was odd, but then again, Duo couldn't really complain as he reached behind him, gripping his extremely long braid of hair.

"Hey, guys!"

Duo blinked out of his stupor and smiled at the blond making his way towards them. He stumbled a bit, almost swept away in the crowd again, but Trowa reached out, grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled him close. Duo didn't even try to suppress the knowing smile that spread over his face. That was how Trowa was going to blend into society. He would be the one that the famous Winner heir wouldn't let out of his sight; they would be together all the time. No one would be able to separate them. Nah, Trowa wasn't going to have any trouble blending in with people now.

"Hey, Quatra. What's up?" Duo asked, choosing to break the silence that was between the blond and the taller male.

"Nothing much now that I was able to get away from those vultures. Can you believe that this all is over?" Quatra asked, sounding wistful as he looked around at all the people that wouldn't have dared being seen together before.

"Kind of…" Duo murmured softly, smiling as he glanced around, feeling on edge again.

"What are your plans, Duo?"

"Truthfully, I don't know. I probably should go up to L2 and see if Hilde needs any help with the scrap yard. I might go and do a little spelunking before I settle down. I don't know. I guess I have to figure out what I want to be when I grow up before I go to actually do it." Duo smirked.

Quatra giggled before he nodded, "I see. Wha-"

"You're going to go digging to find out what you want to do with life?" Wufei's voice came from behind them. None of them jumped in surprise.

"Not digging. Exploring. Maybe take a few trips around the world, go to the different colonies. Just to see what I can do, what I want to do for a living before I settle down." Duo said, smiling over his shoulder before he spun back on his heels, to face the Chinese male, "Besides, not all of us want a nice cushy job in Preventers, and a nice girl that we're going to marry."

Wufei balked at him, "Maxwell! No one was supposed to know about that!"

Duo snickered as the other began to rant, but it was cut short by Quatra changing the subject.

"What are you going to do, Trowa?" The small blond asked, looking up at the taller male that was surveying all of them with a scrutinizing eye.

"I don't know… probably going to go join the circus…" Trowa muttered rather offhandedly. Despite what it seemed, he had no idea what he was going to do.

"Where's Yuy?" Wufei asked a bit sour that the man who'd stopped the whole Mariemaia thing wasn't going to be there with the four of them.

"He's with Relena. Making sure that nothing happens to her." Quatra explained softly, "She doesn't seem to be taking the end of the war as well as everyone else, or she's taking it a little too well."

Duo sniggered as he scanned the crowd and spotted where Relena and Heero were. The latter of the two trying almost desperately to get the former to sit down, but as soon as he let her go, she was back on her feet and moving to talk to someone else, a glass of champagne in her free right hand, her left clutching hold of Heero in a vice grip.

"Well, so much for being rid of her." Duo muttered before he stretched out a bit, "I'm going to head back to the hotel, guys. I'm kinda beat. My shuttle leaves for L2 in the morning around ten. Give me a call before then, huh?"

"Sure, Duo." Quatra said with a smile, the American only receiving slight nods from both Trowa and Wufei.

"Tell Heero to give me a call if he can ever get Relena under control." Duo said before waving over his shoulder as he made his way out of the party, keeping to the unoccupied walls to get free.

He inhaled deeply, happily as the party spat him out into the open night sky. He lifted his head, gazing at the stars that were so far away now. He smiled ruefully at them; soon he would be back amongst them. Another rat gnawing on the beauty that was those stars, and a few satellites. He shook his head as he began to walk down the street. It felt a little weird to be able to walk down the street and not have to worry about hiding his appearance, his hair, his Gundam, his gun, anything. It was odd for him to be able to walk so freely now, when just a year, give or take a few days, ago, he wasn't even able to go to the store without causing a scene.

Truthfully, it was nice to be able to do things like this. It sort of makes him feel like a real person. He rolled his shoulders, letting them relax as he settled back into the feeling. He smiled to himself as he reached back, folding his arms over the back of his neck, arching his back to stare at the stars as he walked, a smile fixed onto his face.

"So this is what it feels like to be a normal kid… Not a terrorist or a street rat or a Gundam pilot… Just a normal kid. I guess I have some catching up to do with the others in my age group… they're probably either in high school, or getting ready to go into it. Wonder how old I really am… Maybe I'll go to school before going on my trips… Yeah. I think I'm going to finish up high school… get a diploma or something, then go on my little trip; that way I can think of it as college courses that I'm studying myself, get credit for it, and be able to say I have a degree for doing all of this. Yeah. I can do that. What's going to stop me?"

A chuckle came from his lips, his eyes sparkling at the thought of himself actually in a high school. He almost laughed at the picture that he made before he tensed. Straightening up, he stopped in mid step. Not moving, hardly even breathing. He listened closely to the night. He could still hear the fireworks being set off, but they were more like tiny little pops than loud bangs now. He couldn't hear the cheering diplomats anymore. He could still see the light given off by the fireworks; it made him cast a shadow.

He glanced down, frowning when he saw that nothing else cast a shadow besides him. Taking a deep breath, he began to try to relax. It could've just been someone opening their door, or their window that set him off. That was bound to happen often until he could squash down his soldier instincts. He smiled to himself before he started to walk again, dismissing the feeling he'd been getting as nothing.

He didn't make it seven steps before the feeling came back again, this time worse than ever. Instead of a little tug telling him that something was wrong, his whole stomach plummeted a good twelve inches into his gut. The few short hairs he had on the back of his neck stood on ends, screaming in fright. His body tensed, his fingers itched, a hot feeling formed in the back of his head, making him want to scratch at it. His heart began to hammer in his chest, making it difficult to not breathe as his ears strained to listen, to figure out what was setting him off. He heard nothing. He spun around and gasped loudly, moving to pull away but he was too close already.

Duo twisted his body around, making a strangled lurching sound as his collar was snagged and he was drug up by the man who had somehow snuck up on him. He reached up, trying to get at the man's wrist, but it was even bigger than his hand; he couldn't get a grip on it. He felt the other hand come up and grab hold of his much smaller wrists and wrench them the wrong way. His back arched in pain, his mouth opened to cry out, but he bit down on his lip to keep from doing so.

The hold on his collar relaxed, and Duo crumpled to the ground, gasping as pain shot from his shoulder blades down his spine as he was bent forward by the hold the person still had on his wrists. He moved his feet, getting a better stance, then kicked behind him, mule kicking, but only succeeded in getting the man's shin, and pissing him off.

The free hand grabbed him by his neck and lifted him off the ground, releasing his arms and letting them fell back into place. Duo gasped softly as he felt the muscles pull. They would be bruised in the morning, but they weren't broken. He almost smiled to himself at the man's stupidity for letting go of his wrists. He reached up, lacing his fingers around his wrist and went to pull his neck backwards and out, but the thick fingers clamped down on his airway, making him gag, gasp, and loose his momentum.

His body fell back straight, like holding a rag doll by its head and legs, then letting go of the legs. His hands reached up, trying desperately to pry the fingers away, but they weren't going to budge at all.

"Good… Good. Struggle a little more, yes…" a thin, whispering voice hissed from nowhere.

Duo couldn't see who or what it was. The angle the beast's hand had around his neck forced him to look up at the stars. The strength of the grip was suffocating him, making the edges of his vision slowly fade into black. The last thing he remembered was seeing the stars twinkling innocently above his head.

* * *

Duo woke much later. He groaned softly as he sat up from the cot. He rubbed at his aching head, before coughing into his other hand. A few splatters of blood littered the pale skin before Duo rubbed them away onto the cot. He swung his legs over the edge, glancing around. The room seemed to be made out of nothing but concrete. There was a small pot in the corner that was held up by a pipe that went down into the floor. The only light in the room came from a small bulb that hung bare from the ceiling above his reach.

Duo got to his feet and spotted the door. It was cut out of the concrete and put on hinges so that it would swing. He was only able to see that it was actually the door because there was a tiny dog flap built into the bottom of it, looking only slightly big enough for a cat to slide under it. There was no door handle on his side, nothing that would indicate that he could open the door, or that it was locked in any way. Slim legs carried him to the door and he bent down; reaching through the doggy door slightly, he grabbed the edge of the cut out and tested the door. There was a metallic thunk when he pulled, signaling that the door was, indeed, locked. Duo was about to pull his hand away when a harsh jolt of electricity run up his arm and made his back arch. He pulled his hand away, gasping slightly as he looked down at the twitching appendages and the now burnt tips of his fingers.

Glaring at the door, Duo rose to his feet and began to beat both his fists on it.

"Hey! Hey! Yo, ass wipes! Hello! Hey!" Duo called as he pounded.

A slight humming noise was his only warning before-

"AAAUURGH!" He screamed before he felt as if he were thrown from the door and onto the floor, twitching and gasping for breath, eyes wide and staring at the offensive light bulb that shined innocently down on him.

Duo faintly heard the sound of the door unlocking, a few tumblers being tripped then the concrete door sliding, or scraping rather, over the concrete floor. He blinked a few times, trying to clear the spots from his vision. Someone loomed over him, hands in their pockets, unknown colored hair hanging in their face like a curtain.

"Welcome, Mr. Maxwell. I trust that you've found the door all right."

"Yeah… It doesn't seem to like being hit." Duo said, coughing once before he moved his arms, pushing his body into a sitting position.

"No, it doesn't." The man said calmly, taking only a step back from the now sitting Duo. "There's a one hundred volt charge that runs through the door after it feels any vibrations; you pounding on the door, or trying to open it via the food flap, for example. Now that the warnings are out of the way, I will get down to business."

Duo sniggered before he rubbed his right eye, still trying to remove the dots in his vision, "I have a friend you should meet. He's just as clipped and straight to the point as you."

"So I've read, Mr. Maxwell. Your stay has been generously provided for by the Lord, and he is a very patient man. He is willing to wait as long as it takes to get the answers that he would like from you."

Duo made a snorting noise through his nose before turning his gaze onto the man beside him. He was dressed properly for a business man; black suit, white buttoned up shirt, black tie. Everything was neatly pressed and proper, save for his hair that hung past his ears and looked like it had been greased back, but something had happened to jostle the strands in the front loose, and now they hung in his dark brown eyes and slightly pale skin.

"And what answers would he like from little ol' me?" Duo asked, rubbing his right hand with his left a bit miserably.

"The Lord understands that you have extensive and expert knowledge in computer programming and hacking, is that correct?"

"Yup." Duo grunted as he glanced around the room once again.

There were men in the room now. All dressed as well as Mr. To-The-Point, but they looked to all be extremely over weight or were very muscular. One had a bandage around his right wrist. Duo assumed that was the man who had grabbed him. Duo mulled slightly over the man's large stature and on how he could've snuck up on him so quietly. The man looked like a baby elephant that had lost its trunk and ears to some sort of disease and learned to stand on its own two feet.

"The Lord has also been informed of your extensive knowledge in metal work, building and construction of large objects like cars, planes, shuttles and mobile suits."

Duo snorted before he leaned his head on his hand, the elbow resting on his right raised knee and peered up at the man, "And?" he asked shortly.

"Mr. Maxwell, please understand that the Lord is a very patient man, and will not hesitate to do anything that is required for his answers."

"Che." Duo scoffed as he glanced around the room again, looking for any possible means of escaping.

"The Lord requests for your skills and knowledge to build him a mobile suit similar to the Wing Zero Gundam, if not the same; he also requests that blueprints be made to outline what he would need to begin construction on his own line of mobile suits and dolls."

Duo blinked before he looked up at the man, his eyes darkening and narrowing into slits, "Seriously?" he asked softly.

"That is all he wishes. After you've produced them, you'll be knocked out, your memory of the event erased, and released back into the general population. You can do that high school thing that you wished to do."

Duo snarled at him, teeth bore before he folded his arms across his chest, "Over my dead body, bub. There's no way in God's Green Earth nor otherwise would I ever, _ever_tell you assholes how to build a Gundam, nor am I going to give you anything to make your own line of mobile dolls. Forget it. Those prints have been destroyed, and I refuse to divulge what I know of them. So go wrap your dick around your own waist and go fuck yourself."

The man didn't seem at all surprised by Duo's outburst, but he did look exasperated. He pinched the bridge of his nose before he sighed softly, "Mr. Maxwell, please come to understand that if you do this the easy way, all will be forgotten. Do this the hard way, well then… I'm going to have to let the boys have at you."

"And?" Duo snarled impatiently, glaring as a few of the 'boys' took a step forward, some messaging their knuckles, others rolling their shoulders, getting ready for something that Duo could only assume would be the beating he was going to endure.

The man let out a long and slightly suffering sigh before he straightened the rest of the way up, fixed his coat and brushed his hair back into place with his hand.

"I tried. Okay, boys. The Lord says to use whatever means necessary."

"Whatever you say, boss." One of the men grunted stupidly.

The man nodded before he moved to the door, walking out. Duo glared after him before violet eyes scanned the men coming towards him. He leapt to his feet, backing away a few paces, moving his body into the most defensive position that he knew.

When the first man lunged at Duo, the long haired male swept forward, his movements quickly shifting from defensive to the offensive. He swept the side of his hand forward, slamming it into the man's throat, taking only a microsecond to gloat in his head before he moved to the next man. Duo swept his leg, flung his arm, and tried almost desperately to get through the wall of large men, but no matter how many he took down, they just got right back up, blocking his escape.

He stumbled; sweat covering his body, legs shaking, and arms numb. How long had he been doing this dance over and over again with these people? He couldn't tell; all he knew was that he was wiped out, and thick hands were grabbing his arms and shoulders. He took in one last gulp of breath, violet eyes searching out the bulb that hung low from the ceiling, being momentarily blinded by it before his whole world was engulfed in nothing but agonizing pain and unheard screams.

* * *

The next morning, light poured into the hotel room, shining off the sheets that had been provided the day before and spilling over to the floor. The clothes littered on the floor cast long, thin shadows like little spirits taking their time to enjoy their new surroundings. The bed had been made perfectly the day before, the sheets had been laid so perfectly that they were completely flat at one point, but now they were ruffled, and bunched in places that showed a bit of where the occupants had been the night before.

The only sound in the room was the sound of the sheets moving against bare flesh as one of the bed's two occupants started to wake. Lifting his head, he glanced around. He didn't want to have to move, but the sun was bothering him, keeping him awake. He pulled the covers over his head, snuggling into his bedmate's warmth, trying to block out the offending light. Sighing softly when he found the proverbial hole in the bed that one would find and not want to move in the bed. He smiled softly, and was so close to falling asleep once more when a small ticking feeling on the back of his neck made him shift uncomfortably.

A small growl issued from the blond, making his bedmate shift and turn to him. Arms wrapping around him, holding him close, while all he wanted was to get up and find out what was bothering him. The tickling feeling made his lower body shift impatiently, like someone was tickling his feet very faintly.

'What the hell? Am I forgetting something? No, I don't think I am… What could it be? Did I go somewhere I wasn't supposed to last night?'

He opened his blue eyes and glanced at his bedmate, watching the other's slumbering face and smiled to himself.

'Nope… that's not it. I meant to go to this hotel room with Trowa, sleep with him, the whole nine yards, as Duo would say…'

His stomach plummeted down in his gut and he bolted straight up, blanket flying from where it had been resting on top of his head and pooled into his waist and over his legs. Trowa made a noise that sounded oddly like a disturbed cat.

"Oh, Allah, what time is it?" he sputtered as he flung the blanket off himself, ignoring the slight noise of protest from his bedmate as he gathered up his underwear and shorts. He pulled them on rather roughly before he bolted for the vidphone on the desk.

"It's twenty after eleven…" came the muttered response as Trowa sat up in the bed, rubbing at his face a little, yawning more than anything else.

"Oh, no! I was supposed to call Duo before his shuttle left!" Quatra cried in despair, snatching up the phone and dialing the number to the room that Duo gave to them to call.

Quatra listened and watched intently as he waited for Duo to answer, for his face to come onto the screen, but after a few minutes, there was no answer from the other male. He felt his chest run a little cold before the man at the front desk picked up.

"Front desk, how can I help you?" He answered, his face coming onto the screen. The man looked a little older than him, his hair a bit graying at the roots, face looking more kind and still slightly asleep.

"Yes, can you patch me in to Duo Maxwell in room twelve, please?" Quatra asked softly.

"Sure." The man at the desk said and the line clicked over; it starting to ring.

He listened to it ring several times before the man at the front desk picked up and told him that Duo wasn't answering.

"Did you see him leave?" Quatra asked, wanting desperately to have said good bye before Duo left.

"Truthfully, Mr. Winner, I've just arrived here for my shift. I haven't seen anyone all day."

Quatra sighed sadly, eyes moving to the ground, his fingers tensing on the receiver, "Oh… Okay. Thank you anyways."

"Any time, Mr. Winner." The man said before they both hung up at the same time.

"He wasn't there?" Trowa called from where he was leaning on the pillows.

"No… I missed him…" Quatra muttered sadly, his hands rubbing at his bare shoulders.

"There is no use crying over it now. We'll call and apologize after he lands." Trowa said.

Quatra looked at him from over his shoulder before he smiled, "Yes. I suppose so."

He returned to bed, snuggling into the other's warmth and drifting back to sleep. When they would call Hilde the next day, she would inform them that Duo never called to tell her that he was even heading up there, and that she hadn't seen him since he had left with Heero about some sort of threat to peace.

"Did he tell you that he was going to come up here?" Hilde asked, sounding confused.

"Yes. He said he was going to head up to L2, see if you needed any help with the scrap yard, then he was going to go traveling." Quatra said, a frown marring his cherubic face.

"Maybe he just decided to skip over coming up to L2, and just started his traveling. He does that often, as you know. He'll say that he wants to do something, but then something else grabs his interest and he's gone." Hilde chuckled, "I'm sure he'll call once he's found somewhere to stay for a bit."

Quatra looked down at the desk before he sighed softly, "Yeah. I suppose. I hope he calls."

"He might, he might not. He might just try to sever his ties with the war and try to come up with something new." Hilde offered, a kind smile on her face for him.

Quatra smiled sadly, "I hope not… I've lost quite a few friends during the war. I was hoping to at least keep the other pilots close to me."

"He'll call you, Quatra."

"Yeah. Thank you, Hilde, and I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"Any time." She said before she hung up the phone.

Quatra sighed softly once more before he heard the sound of Trowa coming into the room behind him.

"Anything?" the other asked, frowning as he received a shake from Quatra.

"I guess… he wanted to leave us behind. Maybe it's for the best. He was the one that wanted nothing more than to just forget what he'd done during the war. Maybe that meant us as well."

"I don't think that's it, little one. He might just be lost, looking for his way. He'll find it, and you'll be the first person he'll call. You know that you will be."

Quatra chuckled as he nodded, "Yeah, I guess so. I'll keep my phone on for him all the time. I hope he's happy, where ever he is."

Trowa nodded as he held the small blond from behind as the Arab silently mourned the loss of one of, if not his best, friend.

This was repeated by Hilde to Wufei, then much later to Heero. No one questioned why the American had disappeared from their lives after talking to Hilde. He'd told them that he was going to travel for a while, to 'grow up' as he put it, and they left it at that, not wanting to intrude on the other. It didn't seem odd to them that he would just leave randomly, sever all ties with them, and never keep communication. Life went on for the other four Gundam pilots, as it should've been. Some gathered up steady jobs, a couple others started up their own lives, getting into relationships, finding that they didn't work, and moving on to find someone else to spend the rest of their life with, while the fifth laid against the wall of his concrete prison; panting hard, blood streaking down the corners of his mouth from where he bit down on his tongue, cradling his broken wrist to his chest as the door was slammed shut with a teeth grating scraping sound, like nails on a chalkboard, and the light flicked off; plunging him into a world of darkness and pain.

* * *

What'cha think so far?


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing, save for maybe the plot and a few OCs, but not the G-boys, or any names that you may recognize in this fiction.

_Blah_- Thoughts  
_Blah-_ Speach meant to be as someone else

* * *

A soft sigh emmited from the confines of the desk. Papers shifted and rustled as they were sorted through. He hated paper work, but when there wasn't a field mission, he was stuck doing it. Opening the folder, he slid the neccissary papers into it. Closing it softly before he set it aside and opened another manilla folder, stuffing that one with papers as well. Dark blue eyes lifted from what he was doing, looking at his partners in the room with him. The other pilots, all three of them, were all considered the best, and only full team in the whole building that were always together. Heero was working on the paper work right now, sorting them, Quatra was checking the finances for their past mission, what he could roll over for their next mission. Trowa and Wufei were both poured over maps of different colonies, compairing them, looking for anything that could be considered as a whole in the whole system of the colony that they could use to help what ever colony they wished.

After the dissapearance of their fellow pilot and friend, Duo, they all became closer to eachother. Every Friday, Quatra and Trowa had the other two over for dinner, a movie and maybe a bit of remanicing over what they missed most about eachother. They'd become more of a family now than they'd ever been before. Wufei once told them that he thought their getting closer was because Duo wasn't around to do anything to them, they didn't have to be on the offensive or defensive, they could just be themselves. The other three knew the truth, Wufei did as well, but he never liked to admit it to anyone. Everyone missed Duo out of all the people that have gone on with their lives since the end of the war. They weren't getting close because Duo wasn't around to annoy them, they were getting closer because they were afraid one of the others would dissapear as well.

Quatra extended his space heart to the others, feeling their tiredness, boredom and little to no interest in what they were doing. He knew what emotion belonged to who by now, and he could sometimes pinpoint where that person is. He'd tried many, many times to get a read on Duo, but the other never seemed to have something to give back to him. He couldn't feel him like he'd once been able to. He knew that the loud American was still alive somewhere, he just didn't know where to looked, where to start, or even what he would be looking for when he started. He hoped that Duo was happy, he truly did.

Heero, on the other hand, was one of the four that wished that Duo would come back from where ever he was. He missed the braided pilot the most out of all of them. A few years after the slender male dissapeared, Heero realized the feelings he'd always felt around the other male weren't ones of friendship, understanding, respect, or brotherly love. No, he was truly in love with the American boy, the self proclaimed Shinigami. He wanted him to be before him, so he could tell him how he felt for him, see what his reaction would be. He hoped his feelings were returned to him, maybe he could start a relationship with him. Shaking his head, chocolate bangs shifting as he tried to get rid of the thoughts of Duo, and the ache in his chest. He glanced at his calender and looked away, the ache returning only briefly. It's been five years since Duo dissapeared, five long, agonizing, yearning years.

Trowa only ever worried about where Duo was and what he was doing when Quatra did. Sometimes, the small blond would make himself sick wondering what happened to the long haired male, and that would upset Trowa. He wanted Duo to be back with them, making fun of Wufei, helping Quatra pull pranks, making Trowa himself smile, even if he didn't show it on the outside, and privately drooling over Heero. Trowa smiled a little as he remembered the last time he'd seen Duo and Heero in the same room together, somewhat alone. He'd been standing in the door way of a safe house, watching for a good fifteen minutes as Duo kept stealing glances at Heero while Heero stole glances at Duo, both missing eachother's glance by miliseconds, neither of them saying a word until Duo noticed Trowa standing there and would start to talk at him. He missed that.

Wufei, despite everything he ever said, also severly missed the other piece to their little family. He would always make snide remarks, mostly to hide the hurt he felt that Duo would sever all ties with them. He considered the other to be one of his brothers, to be one of his most trusted people, and that wasn't something he extended to just anyone in the world. He missed arguing with Duo, hearing his twisted logic and warped opinions on things, knowing that Duo was also listening to his own opinions just so he could rebuttle it. He missed sparing with Duo, he'd never beaten the American in a simple sparing match. It was like he was covered in grease or something, there was nothing to hold on to. He could slip out of any grip Wufei would have him in and slip up behind him. It was scary, it was thrilling, it was the most fun that he could ever remember having, and he missed it so much.

Their office door slid open silently, but not quiet enough for any of the highly trained ex-pilots to not hear it. All four of their heads picked up and swiveled around to face the woman that was now in the door way. Lucrezia Noin was one of the few females in the organization that were also apart of the war. The only other two were Sally Po, and Lady Une. Both of which were never in field work like Noin was. Une prefered her place as the head, while Sally lived her life out of the hospital portion of the building. She was often on missions with Zechs to Mars, the Moon or other portions of space looking for more resources and areas to colonize, so seeing her here meant that the four of them were going to be sent into another mission.

"The Lady would like to see you." Noin said, a smile on her face, sarcasm in her voice before she dissapeared down the halls.

It was a running joke in the whole building to call Lady Une The Lady. Since her first name was Lady, and she was sometimes anything but a lady to her lackies, often taking them and throwing them out of her office with her bare hands. Heero had seen her do it once to an idiot rookie that had gotten the only other team Heero'd been on besides the pilots killed. Fifteen men went into a building with Heero and this rookie, meaning to only arrest seven people, and hold down the building until the rest of the Preventers got there. A half an hour later, seven of the men were dead, the rookie was crouched in a corner, rocking and sobbing, his gun laied abandoned beside him. Heero had to save him countless times while the other cowered. In the end, it was the rookie's fault that they were ambushed like they were. He messed up the timing on the paper work, so instead of seven men in the building, there was all but two of the whole gang in there, fully armed and not too happy about being surprised.

Heero shook his head, snapping out of his stuppor as the other got to their feet and were filing out of the room. He set aside the folder he'd been working on then started for the door as well, making sure to turn off the light and close it behind him with a faint click.

* * *

The four of them stood outside the door, waiting. Quatra was the first brave soul to reach out and gave the door a faint rap. The silence that followed the last vibration of those little taps were almost deafening. Each of them wanted nothing more than to run back to their desks, claim that Noin never told them that The Lady wanted to see them, but they staied in their place for different reasons.

Quatra wasn't as scared of Lady Une as everyone else was, so he was a given for staying. Trowa wasn't scared of her either, mostly because he was the only one that could probably out run her or tune out anything she could scream at him, it would also help that he belongs to Quatra, and is considered untouchable by everyone in the organization. Wufei's pride refussed to let him run away from a woman like a little child, so he stood there, shoulders squared, his face set, ready to face the devil woman head on. Heero, on the other hand, staied where he was because he knew that if Duo ever saw him running away from someone like Une, he would never hear the end of it. He would have to endure days apon days of torture on how The Perfect Soldier was afraid of a woman half his height, half as skilled as him, and probably lived through less things in her life than Heero does on a day to day basis. He refussed to let reality tell him that Duo wasn't around to mock him so he could run away if he wanted to.

"Come in!" the voice called on the other side of the door, making Heero's blood run cold, she already sounded pissed.

Quatra opened the door and lead the way in. Heero was able to see Wufei's complexion pale a few shades as he moved into the office himself and wanted to smile. After his and Sally's relationship ended a little badly, he's always been tense, watchful in case Lady Une decided to take it apon herself and revenge Sally, for some odd reason. The others could never convince Wufei that since Sally was the one that ended the realtionship, that there was no reason for anyone to try and get back at him, also it'd been about three years since they'd broken up.

The four of them stood before the large desk that the brunette woman sat behind, her reading glasses slipping from her nose a little, making Heero, Wufei, and even Trowa tense at the sight. Neither of them would ever forget the Lady when she wore those glasses during the war, so hateful and evil. That part of her only ever seems to come out when something goes terribly wrong and she ends up having to put her own face in the papers to cover it up. She wasn't much for reporters.

"You wanted to see us, ma'am?" Quatra asked, not even phased by the glasses at all.

She lifted her dark eyes to them before she removed the glasses and set them aside on the desk, "Yes, I did. I need the four of you to… No, I need my best agents on this operation, which would be the four of you."

The two asian boys and Trowa almost visibly relaxed where they stood. She wasn't going to kill them herself. Nope, just send them on a suicide mission for the next life time. They could handle suicide missions better than they could ever handle Lady Une, especially when she was on 'Her monthly red demon', as Duo would've put it. Heero almost missed that Une started talking again, pulling his thoughts from Duo for the second time in an hour.

"There's been an organization that we've been trying to squash for almost five years now. They've been trying to get a faction into the political world, but Relena's been very good at keeping them at bay, but now there's a rumor going around that they've some how gotten their hands on plans that could be either blue prints, lay outs or something of that sort on how to build a new line of Mobile Suits. There's a scare that they might even have a Gundam somewhere."

Heero frowned as she handed Quatra the folder on the group, "Where would they get plans to build a Gundam?"

"No-one knows. We've been able to capture one of their opratives. He told us very little before he bit through his own tounge and killed himself in the interogation room. We haven't been able to pin down their boss. A man who is only refered to as The Lord. We don't know what he's the lord of, what his name is, what he looks like or anything." Lady Une explained as she leaned forward in her great chair, pressing her elbows to the hard wood of the desk, lacing her fingers together and pressing her lips to the digits.

"Then how would we know where to start?" Wufei asked, moving around to read the file like Trowa was, over the small blond's shoulder.

"The last oprative for the group that we were able to capture told us of a building that the faction owned and used as their main base for this portion of the globe. Apparently, they have bases all over the place. Several dozen on Earth, a couple in each Colony and so forth." Lady Une said frowning as Quatra flipped a page in the file, reading quickly.

"There's been no massive supply of metal, wiring or Gundanium alloy… How sure was this leak of this building project?" Quatra asked as he read.

"Extreamly sure. He wouldn't tell of where they got the plans, who's building it, where they're being built or anything. There have been no massive charges for the metal in seven years, the last one to do such an order was Heero to rebuild Wing Zero, since then we've monitored all purchasing and selling of Gundanium anywhere in the world and the Black Market. No one's sold anymore than a pound, the biggest shipment was seven pounts to a shuttle company for a new design in shuttle."

"Objective?" Heero grunted, arms folding a little defensively over his chest.

"Two part mission. I want the four of you to go under cover, or scout out the building. Get a lay out, a complete lay out. I want that placed watched for atleast a month before we go in and take the place. I want extensive work up on the place, everything that you can think of doing, I want it done. Got it?" Une asked, her tone sharp and clip.

"Yes, ma'am." All of them found themselves recitting like it was the first day of boot camp in the Army or Marines.

They filed out of the place quickly, Heero snatching the file from Quatra as soon as Lady's door was closed with a soft click. She was right when she said there wasn't much on the faction. It was basically just a few plans that were so old that Heero didn't even bother to look over them, especially the political aspect. He flipped to a picture of a eight story tall building sandwiched between two equally tall buildings. The face of it was suppose to be painted blue, but the paint was peeling and coming off the bricks, making it look more run down than anything else. It defidently didn't look like it would be a place a gang would hold their headquarters at.

"We need two people in infultrate the building as new reqruits." Heero muttered, his sentence not even out of the air before Trowa and Wufei snagged the jobs.

"We'll have to find out how they get new people to join them and-"

"Protest rallies." Heero grunted, showing Quatra the page that outlined how the recruits were found for the group.

"How are we going to get them through that? Everyone knows our faces, and those that don't will be able to see at a 'Anti-Relena' rallie. The former Gundam Pilots are the main attraction when it comes to the Vice Foreign Minister to make a point on why peace is so important."

"We'll have to get some different identities done." Heero muttered softly.

He barely heard the audioable groan from Wufei. The process required that the two be molded for a mask that was made out of a plastic that would stick to their own skin and adhear to it, making it look extreamly realistic. It was only used by Preventers for under cover work. It wasn't that the process was bothersome or anything, it was that ninety-nine percent of all the Preventers agents had a slight alergy to the adhesive used on the masks, Wufei being apart of that ninety-nine percent.

It would cause blotches on the skin that would quickly give way to becoming a small patch of hives where the most of the adhesive touched. Extreamly bothersome and itchy. Truthfully, Heero liked it when Wufei got one because it was always a riot to see how he would try to scratch without 'seeming too weak to take a few itches'. His ego getting in the way of his life once again.

"Damn it… these people better be worth it, or else more than just a few people are going to end up dead…" Wufei growled softly.

"This is why we don't just randomly jump into jobs, Wufei." Quatra said with a smile, earning him a glare from the Chinese male.

* * *

A month later found Heero perched in a window that was apart of the buildings across from the supposed headquarters. He wrote down the last bit of notes he'd witnessed from the day. The place seemed to be more of a hang out for the lackies of the organization. He mostly ever saw one man go in and out of the building almost every day around two in the after noon. He would be there for two hours, then he would leave. He looked to be a business man to Heero. He was always wearing a suit, a tie, and a white shirt. A monkey suit. His shoes looked to be always polished and made perfect, his hair slicked back into place with some sort of gel or something.

He would come and go every day at the same time, every day leave with the same exasperated look on his face and dissapear into a black Jaguar and tear down the street like someone would be shooting him at any moment in time. After that, the place would be still for four hours before a large, bulky looking man would stumble out of the place and dissapear down the street for an hour, returning with bags of take out enough for atleast twenty people.

Wufei confrimed by the first week that there were atleast seventeen people inside the building at one point, all doing something else. They were a mixed group of big, stupid men that were most likely the musceals, a few people that would be working on computers, and some wise guys sitting around playing poker at the table on the second floor. He confirmed the comings and goings of the man in the suit, but what he did, Wufei couldn't tell, and Trowa had never seen the man do anything but come in and then leave.

Wufei tried to follow him a couple times. He followed him through the place and down a flight of stairs into a lower level. He would see the man sit in a chair in the dark for a good hour before he would get up as if to leave. Wufei would scamper out of there before he was caught. Another hour later, the man hadn't resurfaced from the depts of the 'basement'. When Wufei got up the time to go check, he would come back up, a flustered look on his face and leave until the next day, the process repeating.

Heero closed his notebook and climbed out of the window, he shone a light into the window he knew Wufei would be in, signaling him that it was time to go for good. They've had no contact save for the occasional disposable cellphone call in the whole month, even then it would be just telling information then getting off before someone would notice him talking about something he wasn't suppose to.

Heero moved down the street, keeping himself hidden before he met up with Quatra, disguesed as a little begger man on the courner. The blond removed his black hat, shaking out his dirty hair and flicked the trenchcoat he was wearing out a little. Another fifteen minutes lapsed and two men headed for them. One was tall, red hair, very pale skin, the other slightly shorter, blonde hair and dark skin, the disguises that Trowa and Wufei had taken up looked like something out of an old mobster movie, but it didn't give them away.

"We done?" Wufei asked hotly, looking rather annoied.

"Yes. All we have to do now is tell Lady this information and we can go into the place in a week." Quatra said, taking the recorder that Trowa had been carrying around from him.

"Thank Nataku." Wufei snarled before the four of them turned and left.

* * *

"Good, good. This should do perfectly. I've already set up the team, and this is what we're going to do." Une explained as she looked over everything that she'd collected from everyone.

Her office was full to bursting with atleast fifty operatives, including the ex-pilots. All of them had rather stern looks on their faces, and you could probably cut the tension with a knife. Heero felt his shoulders itching to move, and he rolled them. Even after this long, he still wasn't used to the tension not being broken up by someone, anyone. He hated that this was going to continue through the whole meeting. He decided that since all Une would be doing is reciting what they'd learned in the month. Heero had memorized all of it during the month, he knew the building as well as Wufei and Trowa did now, and intended to keep from being lectured on something that he already knew.

He allowed his thoughts to travel to five years ago, and the regrets that he held in his chest. He let his mind wander to his life. It wasn't really much of a life right now. All he had was the apartment that he shared with Wufei to avoid having to pay the full amount of a rent, and a cat that he'd named Wing, Wufei had a cat himself that he named Nataku. Needless to say, all of them were still having a bit of trouble letting go. He'd went straight into Preventers after the party Relena had thrown for the end of the Marimia incident. He worked with only Wufei for a while, almost a full year before Trowa came into the program, bored out of his mind with Quatra on his heels.

His whole life was basically going home, eating, showering, sleeping, working and going to Quatra's Friday functions. He hated it, but it was the best that he could do right now.

"Agent Light will lead the team going in the front, being consoled by Agent Fire and Earth. Understand?" Une asked, glaring around the room as she asked the last question.

"Yes, ma'am." Heero found himself being deafened by the men and women all shouting this at once.

"Excellent. The assault will begin tomorrow. Be ready to move out in 0800 hours." Une barked, glaring still.

"Ma'am." Everyone barked.

"Dimissed." Une said, almost smiling as everyone bumrushed the door to get away.

* * *

Dark… It was so dark again. Why was it always so dark? He closed his eyes, it was dark, he opened his eyes, it was still dark. Why did it have to be dark?

_"Maybe the light went out again?"_

"No… They changed it the last time. It can't go out… how long has it been since the bulb was changed?" a soft, tired voice rasped in the darkness to itself, and disturbingly enough, it answered itself.

_"We've gone to sleep atleast twenty four times since they came in to change the bulb…"_

"Then the light's fine… They've turned it off again…"

_"Oh… Did they get your arm again, kiddo?"_

"No… I'm okay this time. I can't feel my leg again, though… is that my leg? I can't tell anymore…"

_"Don't worry. We'll be out of here soon."_

"How long have you been telling me that? I can't wait anymore. I'm so tired of waiting, it's been so long… No one's coming for us, Solo…"

_"Not yet, kiddo. But they will. Your friends will be here any second now to rescue us."_

"I don't think so, Sol…" the tired voice answered before the lightbulb flicked on.

His eyes slammed shut, raising his arm to block out the light that now assaulted his vision. The light. He hated it. It was going to be what killed him one of these days, he knew it, he wished for it. How often had he wished for the end? He couldn't remember. He couldn't even begin to tell. His body shook as he waited.

He 'felt' a hand slide over his and he gave it a squeeze.

_"You'll be okay, Kid. We've lasted this long, we can get through one more day. Remember what I always say. JFT, Just for Today."_

"What if I don't want to do it anymore, Sol? Maybe, this time, I want them to kill me… They were so close last time… so close… I was almost there, almost free…"

_"You aren't meant to come home yet, kiddo. You will, one day, just not yet. You have to keep believing that. You have to."_

"… No… I don't." Duo rasped out, wincing as he heard the scraping of the floor as the door was pushed open.

He closed his eyes, willing the shaking of his body to go away, so he could atleast die like a man, but he knew that no matter if he shook or not, there was no dying like a man anymore. There was just dying, or living to be in hell another day. His body ached and screamed at him, he wanted it to be over so bad. Either they actually leave him alone, or would just end it for him, why couldn't it end? Why did they taunt him like this?

_"Just for Today, kid. I'll see you in an hour."_

"Don't leave me alone... Please, Solo, don't leave me alone." He begged softly, his voice hitching and trembling with supressed sobs.

There was no answer. There wouldn't be another answer for the hour that Solo told him he would be back in. He forced himself not to make a sound yet, even though he wanted to just start sobbing and get it over with. His fists clenched painfully, he opened his eyes to look at the ground. He looked down at his bare, dirty feet, watching them twitch and shake the excess anxiety that his body couldn't contain on its own.

He barely noticed the shadow cast over himself before the voice started up, like it did every time the light came on.

"Ready?" the voice asked, like it always did, like it always will.

His fate rested in his answer. He could save himself the pain and answer how the voice asked, or be like it's been every day for he could only guess for how long, and the pain would ensue once more. His body shook and his head started to scream at him.

_Tell him! Give him what he wants! Please, no more! I'll do anything you want, anything at all, just… no more, please…_

Those sounded like good words to use right now. He didn't have any pride left, so he opened his mouth and…

"Fuck you…" he heard himself hiss at the man.

His stomach dropped out of his body and onto the floor, he was sure of it. His blood ran cold, his head screamed in agony already, his body wracked itself with new sobs. He trembled and jerked as he sobbed, hands holding onto the old cot for dear life as he heard the familiar suffering sigh.

"I'm sorry to hear that is your answer, Mr. Maxwell… You see… that patients I told you that The Lord has…" he started, pausing as if looking for the righ words, "See… it's finally run out."

Duo wanted to flinch, wanted to fight back, but he was too far gone. He lifted his head as he heard the click. He was face to face with the barrel of a gun.

_.45 caliber pistol. Chrome finish, stainless steal handle, hair trigger guard, point zero four two five reaction time…_

He winced at the information his brain automaticaly spat out. He lifted his eyes to the man before him again, he was silohetted in the light, maring the ugly face he'd come to loath in his time here. He watched the finger move from the trigger guard to the trigger and start to pull, but his eyes never wavered from the man who's name he never knew or would know's face. His poor brain, so confussed and muddled…

To it, the man's features warped and changed, giving away and then reforming. A brownish gold hat now sat on his head, a dark brown strap going around it, holding the golden seal on it, glinting off the light bulb. It sat atop of a mop of chocolate, tassled hair that fell into blue, scowling eyes. His face set into a mask of nothing as he pointed the glock at him.

"… Heero…" he whispered softly, "Come to kill me have you?"

His brain rattled through the old memory, spouting out anything it could to keep itself alive, anything to keep itself from becoming mush.

"I knew you would be the one to kill me…" he whispered, closing his eyes again, blocking out the image.

He listened to the sound of the metal scraping against metal as the piston pulled back, anticipating it, but nothing happened. Like before, he opened his eyes and looked up at the vision of his formed fellow pilot.

"Hey, you're really going to do it, aren't yo-?"

_BANG!  
_

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing, save for maybe the plot and a few OCs, but not the G-boys, or any names that you may recognize in this fiction.

'/Blah/'- Thoughts  
"Blah"- Speech meant to be as someone else

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 3

Heero knelt behind the row of cars, watching the building carefully. Persian blue eyes trained on the entrance of the building as the other got into their own places. He glanced around, spotting Wufei against a pole in front of the building, looking like he was reading a paper. He let his eyes dart to the different places where agents were being hidden in. He quickly took stock in where it would be best for everyone to get in and out quickly if needed. He glanced up at the buildings surrounding the blue building, both Quatra and Trowa were waiting in the windows of both the buildings to use lines and break through the second story windows with their teams, they couldn't allow the men on the second floor playing poker to get away.

His eyes were torn from where they'd been looking around to the black Jaguar that pulled up to the building. Heero frowned as he crouched down, watching as the man from the past month got out of the car, slipping on a pair of black gloves that Heero had never seen before and slipped something silver into his over coat.

'A gun…' Heero's mind supplied.

Why would this man need a gun? He'd never been seen with a gun before, Wufei never said of anyone besides the grunts having any sort of weapon, and this man never wore gloves before. The set look on his face told Heero automatically that someone in that building was going to die today. He wanted to smirk, they probably found a double agent, or a rat in their little group. He waited for the suited man to go into the building and disappear into the depts. Before he gave the signal.

He darted across the street, keeping behind the cars, a shadow was cast over him and he looked up to see the two former pilots swing out then into the building's windows with a shattering crash. That seemed to be the main signal as Heero leads a group of about ten people, including Wufei into the house.

The men at the front all let out startled yells and went for hidden pistols. Heero lifted his old glock from the war and fired off two shots, he smirked as one made purchase in the head of one guard, and the other burrowed deeply into the chest of the other. Another three bullets took out the other two guards, making Heero scowl softly as Wufei had to waste a bullet getting one of the guards an idiot couldn't hit. Heero clicked the trigger back on his glock and leapt forward, leading the charge into the building. Gunfire from above his head told him that Trowa and Quatra were working their best.

"Wufei, left!" Heero called as Wufei spun around and fired once, hitting his target without even really looking at him.

"Preventers!" someone yelled as the biggest men started to try and escape down the halls.

A warning shot fired in the hallway. Heero bolted forward, gun raised and at the ready as he reached the group of five large men that were standing with their hands raised over their heads, being held up by Noin and Zechs. Heero nodded to them, showing that he saw that they had their positions covered and headed upstairs.

His legs powered up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He ducked as a bullet ricocheted off the wall where his head would've been a few seconds before, he crouched onto his knees and glanced around the corner and smirked. Quatra was tying up the last men with something that looked suspiciously like a shoelace, looking more than a little pissed off. Out of the ten men the two of them had taken upstairs with them, only seven remained. The other three laid dead or severely wounded on the ground. Once the last man was tied off, Trowa took a knee beside one of the only survivor and began to patch him up.

"Yuy!" came Wufei's voice through the com-link that Heero had completely forgotten about.

"Chang." Heero answered ecliptically as he took his own knee beside the man.

"Did you check the basement for the Suit? We don't have him down here."

"No, I'm heading down there as we speak." Heero lied as he got up and bolted down the stairs.

"Better hurry. Chang out." Wufei taunted before the line went dead.

Heero rolled his eyes as he took up his glock and slipped down the stairs that lead to the basement of the building. It wasn't much, really. It looked like it was dug under the building for the Water Heater and the Electrical Panel. There was an old, faded green lazy boy in the middle of the room facing a wall. The whole place was lined in concrete; some of it has scratches in it from a drip from the ceiling that now made a pool against one corner of the wall.

A frown appeared on Heero's face as he glanced around; the man in the suit wasn't down here.

"Chang."

"Yuy." Wufei answered, sounding rather bored.

"You sure the Suit came down here?" Heero asked.

"Positive. It's the only place he goes. Need backup?" Wufei asked.

"You sound bored enough. Get down here."

"Funny. Chang out."

Heero waited the few seconds it took for Wufei to descend the stairs and took up the spot beside him.

"Where'd he go?" Wufei asked, looking around the place.

"I don't know. Look for a door." Heero muttered softly before he started towards the walls.

Wufei grunted in acknowledgement before he placed his hand on the wall to his left while Heero took up the one on the right. The two walked simultaneously along the wall, running their hands over it until Heero stopped, finding the microscopic cut in the wall.

"Here" Heero called softly before he looked around for a handle. The door was made out of the concrete of the wall; the only thing on it was a small, golden colored hole that was twisted to the left and a tiny black square at the bottom that Heero mistook for a stain on the wall.

He kicked out his foot a little, frowning when he saw that it was a doggy door and flap. Heero motioned over to him and Wufei stepped up beside him, listening. They couldn't hear anything at all on the other side. Heero gently pressed his hand to the middle of the door and started to push.

BANG!

Heero jumped in surprise, as did Wufei at the sound of the gunshot.

"NO! NO!"

Heero shoved the door open with all the strength that he possessed and bolted inside, Wufei hissing as he took up his own position, aiming into the room.

"Freeze!" Wufei all but screamed into the room.

The man in the suit froze where he was, his slicked back hair shinning off the single light bulb in the room. Wufei gagged a little, the room smelt horrible. He'd once gone into a sewer to escape a bounty hunter, that sewer smelt well than this small room.

"Put the gun down." Heero growled, wondering where the screams had come from.

"I don't have my gun anymore." The man said, showing that he had no gun by turning his wrists.

Heero mentally frowned, his gun still on the man's back, and "Where is it?"

"Against the wall there." The man said calmly.

Heero glanced to his right, noticing the silver weapon that now laid harmlessly in the crevice where the wall and floor met. He wondered how it had gotten there before he got up from the crouched position that he'd been in.

"Put your hands up, slowly." He instructed, watching the man carefully as he lifted his hands above his head,

"Don't move."

Wufei frowned as he reached back, pulled handcuffs from nowhere and pulled the man's wrists down to him. He clicked the metal cuffs around his small wrists and made sure to adjust them accordingly. Heero appeared beside him, gun pressed to the man's head.

"What were you shooting at?" Heero asked his tone low and deadly.

"Che… I missed." The man muttered, as if angry at himself.

"I didn't ask if you got it, I asked what you were shooting at." Heero growled, clicking the piston back on the weapon.

"Yuy." Wufei hissed.

Heero ignored him as the man seemed to be weighing his options before he shrugged a little bit. His shoulder rolled then he looked down at the bed, smiling a little as if that beat up old cot held some fond memories for him.

"He scampered under the bed… Pity." The man said before Wufei pulled him from where he was standing, back a few steps.

Heero gave him a confused look before he knelt down before the bed, then slid onto his other knee and began to bend forward.

"Yuy!" Wufei hissed, making Heero jump and turn his head to him, "Don't."

Heero ignored his warning and continued his motion, glancing under the bed quickly. He didn't see anything at all, really. He frowned before he moved his head back down and slowly looked under the bed. At first, he didn't see anything, then his eyes got adjusted to the slight change and he saw something or someone huddled in the far corner against the wall, arms over their head, trembling as long strands of hair fell off their body onto the floor.

"There's someone under here…" Heero muttered to Wufei.

"Great. Pull the bed up, arrest their ass and let's get out of here. The smell is killing me. Come on." Wufei growled as he pulled the man until he was facing the door and started to push.

Heero climbed back to his feet, taking the bed on the outside into his hands and pulled the bed out then lifted it, taking it away from the wall and tossing it aside. Heero didn't miss the whimpering and sobbing noise coming from the huddled form.

"Damn." Heero hissed, recoiling a bit as the small Wufei was complaining about got stronger.

"Yuy." Wufei hissed as he re-entered the room and recoiled, "Oh, Kami save us all." He groaned before Heero could hear him retching against the wall outside.

"Okay, buddy. Get out of there." Heero called the best he could, when the form didn't move, Heero knelt down and grabbed a hold of the mass's shoulders.

Heero blinked as the person let out the most tortured scream he'd ever heard in his life and began to scramble to get away, trying desperately to wrench itself away, but Heero's lax grip was somehow able to keep a hold of it.

Heero winced at the sickening sound of bone's breaking from the cartilage and another scream came from the thing. Wufei bolted into the room, the horrible smell forgotten and took up next to his Japanese partner. Together, they took a hold of the form and sat it against the wall.

Heero recoiled slightly at the look of what they'd just 'captured'. Wufei, groaned softly, thanking Kami that he'd already thrown up. Its hair was matted, laying mid back length in a tangled heap. Burn scars littered the sides of its face, one eye, the right one, was swollen shut and was a horrible shade of dark purple. Its eyes were closed tightly, as if that would block out everything that was going to happen to it. Bruises littered down the sides of its face, blood matted against dirty skin, covered in Heero could only guess what.

It was horribly thin, its one good, not swollen, but still closed eye laid at least a good three inches in its skull, and he could actually see the thin wisps of mussels moving the actual jawbones under the skin as it started to mutter to it. Heero gasped slightly as he could count every single bone in the vertebral column of the back if the poor thing's neck. Its shirt was torn to shreds, not covering anything very well, its rib cage, sternum, every shoulder bone and arm bone visible. He could even see the outline of the bones against the skin. He counted seven broken ribs that pressed against the skin; one broken rib even looked like it was severely close to poking out of its fleshy confines. What skin it had was blotched in a pale and sickly yellow color.

He wasn't wearing pants, either they were torn a long time ago, or his captor's never bothered to put them on him, it was hard to tell, but Heero could see the dip where its stomach had once been, it was now pressed to its ribcage and smashing in his intestines, he could count the lower vertebrae through his back. His body was more like an hourglass now. The chest kept it big; the dipped in the sides then out again at his pelvis. His pelvis stretched its hips; the legs were no better than the arms, the limp, shriveled and bruised remains of the thing's penis were the only indication that it was male.

"My god… How long has he been down here?" Wufei asked, his voice trembling with unsown emotion.

Heero could only shrug; the sight was just so horrible to him. If he couldn't see the ribs contracting and retracting, he wouldn't even think that this skeleton was a real person, but one that had been dead and perfectly preserved. His hands trembled as he felt it start to lift its head; Heero could see what it was mumbling now.

"Just for today… Just for today…" over and over again.

"What should we do?" Wufei asked.

"I don't know…" Heero muttered softly as the thing shifted again.

"They're talking about you, kiddo… I don't want them here. Make them go away… They're different from the last ones… They all are…" it mumbled to itself.

Heero idly wondered how far gone his brain was before he released his hold on the horrible feeling of bones under his skin and touched the communicator.

"Winner…" he called.

"Winner here." Quatra responded.

"Call a bus… We have a prisoner of theirs… He's… terrible…" Heero muttered softly.

"Will do." Quatra said.

"Tell them we're going to need IV fluids, and some sedatives. He's a little on the… mushy side." Heero said.

"All right. Winner out."

Heero sighed softly before he rubbed at his face. The prisoner's voice was becoming a bit louder now, as if to fill the void of the silence.

"You can open your eyes; they aren't going to do anything. They would've done it by now… It's a trick… No, it's not… I know it's a trick, they can't fool me. Not anymore... Just a peek wouldn't hurt kiddo." Silence.

Heero lifted his gaze from the floor to the man again. He saw the signs of the eye opening, but they were cast down, not looking at them, he couldn't make out what he was mumbling to himself now before it seemed like his whole world came crashing down around him, the only thing he heard that told him that he was still alive was the horrified gasp from Wufei.

* * *

He only had his one eye left. He'd forgotten about it in the darkness. He was more than happy to go back to the darkness, but these men that were holding him refused to let him be. They were probably here to torture him, too. They all were.

_"You can open your eyes. They aren't going to do anything. They would've done it by now."_

"It's a trick…" he mumbled softly in reply.

_"No, it's not."_ Solo tried to argue for him.

"I know it's a trick, they can't fool me… Not anymore…" Duo mumbled softly.

_"Just a peak wouldn't hurt kiddo."_

Should he risk to look? His head told him not to, but his body didn't seem to like listening to his head right now. All he wanted was to have some of his bread, maybe even see if they left water for him and enjoy what little time, pain free that they would allow him. He idly wondered what would happen if he looked and started weighing his options.

'What if they're just seeing if I'll do what they say? They'll just start beating me once they know I think they won't do anything to me… but what if they aren't? What if they're actually here to rescue me, finally? Maybe the guys finally decided to come and get me. No… I'm too annoying for them to waste their time on. No one would be interested; maybe they would even celebrate me being like this. That's so sad, though…' Duo thought to himself before he seemed to sigh and opened his eyes.

He stared at the floor for what felt like an hour before he started to lift his gaze. He looked at the man in front of him and wanted to smile so badly, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He looked exactly like Heero. Chocolate hair that fell into his face, dark, beautiful Persian blue eyes, tanned complexion.

"Oh, no… I'm hallucinating again…" Duo muttered to himself, watching the face of the Heero-look-alike turn into complete shock and horror, the man beside him gasping loudly.

Duo turned his head to the other one and actually did break a small grin, "Oh and Wufei's here, too... I wonder if the others will show up in this one. We can have a reunion." He muttered to himself once more.

Heero didn't catch what Duo was mumbling to himself; instead he got down more onto his knees, reaching out and gently touching that horribly thin face. It felt so brittle in his hand, his eye looked so dead, gone. His mind was gone, broken.

"Duo?" he choked, unable to bring himself to say anymore.

"This one talks…" Duo muttered, as if in a daze, his eye going even more glassy than it had been a few seconds ago, as if he was dipping into the realm he'd made for himself once more.

"No…" Heero choked as Duo began to mumble incoherently to himself, gazing off into the distance through Heero, as if he couldn't see him at all.

"Maxwell? Oh, God… Has he been here... this whole time? Like this?" Wufei sputtered, tears streaming down the sides of his face as he watched Heero check the withered and gone form of the once vibrant, healthy American.

"Duo… Duo?" Heero repeated softly, trying to coax Duo out of his stupor, but he wasn't coming out of it, instead, it seemed more like he was regressing into it even more.

Heero found himself staring at what remained of the boy he loved, the one he never got to tell of his feelings, now it would seem like he was never going to get that chance he'd always longed for. He pulled back from Duo, letting his hand fall into his own lap, his head lowering to the ground. He could hear the sounds of people coming down the stairs above their heads from the second floor, he faintly heard the blip of an ambulance siren, and then his ears picked up the sound of someone shuffling in the room.

He felt as if something clicked in his head. His gaze lifted from the floor, his eyes glazed with anger and set determination. He could feel his legs taking him somewhere, but where never registered with him until he suddenly found himself pointing his glock into the face of the man they'd arrested from the room. Brown eyes looked up at him emotionlessly, calculating his every move, sentence and breath from this point on.

"You… You did this to him…" Heero heard himself say in that old dead pan voice that he suddenly recognized to belong to his other part, the Perfect Soldier part of him that he's fought for so long to keep under control was now broken loose.

They all had their opposites. Sally called them Split Personalities due to the Zero System, the other pilots called them their other them. Quatra's was a little scary; his was an egocentric one that liked nothing more than to hurt other people. He liked to watch the pain on the face of other people, watch what happened to them after the pain was given, and see what they would do after a while of the pain. He was a torturer. Pain of others gave him pleasure, but after a while, Quatra learned how to utilize that anger that came from his Zero form to his advantage, and liked to set it on people that he didn't particularly like, which wasn't very many people.

Wufei's was one that divulged and worked itself to death for the right of justice, and he could often be found going on rants about Justice and the weakness of other people. Trowa's was a silent one, even more than Trowa was normally, he would be one that would be found testing weapons, building things, and doing everything that he could to keep busy while keeping completely to himself, refusing to speak no matter what.

Heero scared himself with his Zero form. The Perfect Soldier was just as he used to be. Very focused only on the mission, would do anything for it, even if it meant his own death. If the mission didn't go as planned, he would try to correct it then self-terminate. He was dangerous in the sense that he didn't care at all who he had to kill in order to get his mission done correctly the first time. That went for anyone and everyone, men, women and children.

The man at the end of the Perfect Soldier just stared at him before he sighed suffering at him, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably.

"I tried to give him an out. He just had to do what the Lord wanted and he would've been released back into the world, left alone. He wasn't going to do it…" the man explained softly, leaning back against the wall where Wufei had propped him.

"Why him? Why did you do this to him?" Heero growled softly, eyes narrowing at the man, as if daring him to answer the wrong way.

The man looked at him again, straight in the eye, "It was an order."

Heero growled before he pressed himself in the man's face, kneeling in between his legs, barrel of his glock pressed into the man's jaw pointing up, "Tell me who this 'Lord' is, and you tell me right now." He snarled.

"I don't think so." The man said softly.

Heero narrowed his eyes at him before he took the barrel from his jaw and pressed it to his thigh, "Tell me." He growled, clicking the safety off.

The man just stared back at him, defiantly staring him down. Heero growled and pulled the trigger home. A deafening bang reverberated off the walls; a scream of pain came from the man's throat as he arched his back and started to struggle. Steel like grip darted out of nowhere and snagged the man by the throat, bringing them back to being nose to nose.

"WHO DID THIS?" he roared, clicking the piston back to fire at the other thigh.

The man seemed to be making choking sounds as he grit his teeth against the pain. Heero was about to pull the trigger again when he felt hands roughly grab him by the shoulders and pull him away from the man. Heero felt his gun be wrestled out of his hand and let out a noise of frustration.

"Tell me! Who did this?" Heero roared as he felt the weapon be taken from him by Trowa, who was looking at him in stunned confusion.

The man shivered, Quatra checking to be sure that he was going to live, before he started to chuckle darkly, wincing in pain as the chuckled jarred his leg.

"You'll never find him… The Lord is everywhere. He'll get what he wants eventually." The man said softly.

"You bastard!" Heero roared, his voice cracking from the amount of screaming he was doing. He hardly felt Trowa's arms slide around his shoulders, keeping him back as he tried to lunge at the man, "Let me go! I'm going to kill him!"

"That's why I'm not going to let you go." Trowa said shortly as he pulled Heero away and onto his feet before he placed himself between Heero's line of sight and the man, "01, stand down!"

Heero felt himself visibly relaxing at the order, the snarl still set on his face as he glared at Trowa. His body thrummed with the need to punch someone, to kill something, to hurt someone as bad as he was hurting right now, as bad as Duo has been hurting these past five years.

"All this time…" Heero whispered softly, surprising himself at how gentle his voice had become with just three simple words from Trowa.

"All this time, what?" Trowa prompted, looking confused.

"He's been here… all this time… alone… hurting… we never bothered to look for him… All this time…" Heero mumbled before he lowered his head, letting his bangs obscure his vision.

Trowa tilted his head in confusion as Heero began to chuckle to himself. He went to let him go and noticed that Heero wasn't chuckling at all. He was sobbing where he stood; biting down on his lip, probably to keep from crying out or lashing out, whichever came first. Now intrigued, Trowa moved from where he was standing to the door that was cut into the concrete and looked inside. His one visible eye widened in surprise at what he saw.

Unconscious on the floor, thinner than anything Trowa had ever seen in his life, dirty and severely beaten was the one they'd been missing all these years. He was only able to recognize him due to Heero's reaction. There would've been no one else Heero would cry for if something like this happened. Next to the form was Wufei, staring in shock, his face was tear streaked, body shaking with the suppressed urge to openly sob. Trowa entered the room, and checked on the unconscious form, making sure that he was still alive. He was awarded with a faint thumping of the other's heart against his middle and index finger.

"Trowa, what's-"

"No!" Trowa shouted, turning to the entrance, wanting desperately to spare the blond from the sight as long as he could, but he was too late.

Quatra stood in the entrance of the room, his body tense enough to almost snap itself in half, his eyes wide and shocked, quickly filling with tears before he sank to his knees, his hands going over his heart, staring at the unconscious form of Duo. Trowa scrambled to his feet, kneeling before the blond, blocking his view but it didn't stop the onslaught of pain and anger that clouded the blonds' vision and face before he started to sob.

"No… Nononono! Is it him?" he sobbed.

"Quatra…" Trowa mumbled softly, hoping to calm him down.

"IS IT HIM?" he screamed, his shoulders slouching forward, his fists pressing harder to his chest, as if afraid something would happen to his heart if he removed them.

"Yes…"

Quatra felt the world slide out from under him and let out an anguished cry. He'd been blocking Duo's emotions from his Space Heart all these years; he hadn't wanted to feel the happiness Duo was experiencing without them. He wanted to give the other his privacy, let him live as he wanted, and his decision… If he'd just left his connection alone like he was supposed to, he would've felt Duo's pain all these years and would've been able to help him, send help, anything. He openly sobbed, letting the tears free fall from his face as Trowa attempted to calm him down, and comfort him.

The four mourned their found friend where they stood or knelt. None of them seeming to notice as the Paramedics came down stairs with the rest of the extraction team. All of them confused as to the sight of a sobbing Heero, wounded bad guy and open concrete door where they could visibly see Trowa holding a sobbing Quatra to his chest. The few that entered the room to see what was going on would recoil, some would empty their stomachs at the sight, and others would bravely mussel past the stench and go to help. Wufei watched as the stretcher was brought in, the frail body of his friend be lifted onto it, and gently strapped down.

He shook as he climbed to his feet, wanting to follow, make sure that they took good care of Duo, but his body refused to listen to his commands to walk. It just stood there, watching helplessly as Duo was carted out of the room. He couldn't see it, but he heard the sound of the gurney being taken up the stairs and then carted towards the bus. The first to recover after that was Trowa, he pulled away from Quatra as someone started talking to them, trying to get their attentions but none of them were listening to him.

"Little one…" Trowa muttered softly, brushing his fingers over the other's face, almost cringing when hardened, pissed off dark blue eyes replaced the normally kind aqua blue ones.

"I'm going to kill him." He snarled softly.

"Not until we get the name of the man who was behind this… I promise, we'll all get our chances at him, little one, but for now, we have to worry about Duo."

The eyes didn't change, but a soft nod of his head told Trowa that he wasn't going to be killing anyone right this minute. He moved his long legs to pushing himself up and brought the blond up with him, setting him on his feet before he turned to Wufei, but found that his body was finally working with him and he was moving out of the horrible smelling room. Heero was now just staring at the floor, too dazed and upset to even move. Trowa gathered all three of them and steered them outside. He pushed them all into the black Jaguar the man had drove here and climbed into the driver's side. He quickly hotwired it and threw the car into drive, tearing up the street after the ambulance, catching up quickly and keeping close to it on the way to the hospital, his own plans for revenge leaping around in his head.

He wanted nothing more than to rip someone's head off and force it up their own ass but he needed to be the calm one right now. Heero had retreated for now, Wufei was wiped out from the slight emotional breakdown he'd had at the sight of Duo, he was bound to have at least one more before all of this was over, and Quatra was not Quatra anymore. The Zero had taken over and wasn't letting go of its control until he'd done what he wanted, which could be a long time from now. Trowa reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. Dialing the number he knew by heart, he pressed it to his ear.

"Sally."

"We found Duo…" he said softly, keeping his voice low for the others, but also afraid that if he said anything, he would be effected like the others.

"Oh?" Sally asked, sounding like she was getting happy and interested.

"In a dark, damp room cut out of a concrete wall… Sally… he probably weighs Seventy pounds soaking wet…" Trowa said, swallowing hard as a lump started to form in his throat but refused to let himself break down yet.

He didn't have to see Sally to see her pale, "Oh, my god… Where's he being taken?"

"St. Helen's on Malabar… I know it's asking a lot but will you-"

"Of course I will! Don't even finish that sentence. I'll be there in fifteen minutes." She said before hanging up.

Trowa nodded as he set the phone aside and pulled into the hospital. He sat back, gripping his hand with his other hand, keeping it from shaking violently. He took a minute to compose himself before he climbed out of the car and helped the others out of it and ushered them into the waiting room. After everyone was seated, he moved to the desk, and flashed his badge.

"There's a young man going to be coming in here. Severely emaciated. His name is Duo Maxwell, AB+ blood type, no known records six years ago for medical, no known Social Security number, and no proper means of identification."

The woman behind the desk was about to say something when the doors burst open and the gurney holding Duo was rushed past them, Trowa didn't have time to try and steal a glance before he was gone. The nurse that moved out of the way paled as she caught sight of what laid on that mobile bed. The smell lingered after for only seconds before it was gone.

The woman assured him that she would have the doctor's talk to him once they were done with him while logging in the information that he'd just given her. Trowa nodded and went to sit down beside Quatra, who was glaring a hole into the chair across from him. Trowa leaned his head back and closed his eyes, hoping to catch a little rest before anything was told to him. His body felt like it weighed a ton, like he was going through the G-force of leaving the atmosphere. His head was screaming at him, pounding against his skull and making his eyes water, the chair pressed to the back of his neck but he ignored it, allowing it where it was since he hadn't the energy or the will to move.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well? What'cha think?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing, save for maybe the plot and a few OCs, but not the G-boys, or any names that you may recognize in this fiction.

Steve The Snapdragon- Well, thank you for your interest. I hope you enjoy the rest of it.

Twilightfairy- Pretty long, if I do say so myself. That's five years of damage done to him mentally and physically. I'm not giving anything away, but he's going to be a hassle. You still have to love Duo.

To everyone else- I'm glad everyone is enjoying this, and I hope you tune in, more is on the way. Thank you all, and enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 4

Trowa jerked, gasping slightly as he felt the hand jostle his shoulder. His body tensed, ready to strike before a voice broke through his start.

"Easy, Trowa. It's Sally."

Emerald green eyes turned to her before he sighed softly, then seemed to remember why she would be waking him like this and bolted up right, "How is he?"

Sally glanced to his left before she motioned for him to follow her. He got up, wincing as his joints popped back into place and became loose. He glanced at the others, all of them were seemingly asleep. Quatra was curled in his chair like a cat, legs tucked to his chest, kept that way by hooking his ankles into the chair's arms, his wrists crossed and pressed to his chest. Wufei was sitting sideward in his chair, his arms folded in his lap, his head resting on the back of the chair. Heero was sleeping with his arms crossed, his chin on his chest, breathing evenly. He turned back to Sally, following her down the hall until she deemed them far enough away from the other three.

"Why are we going this far?" Trowa asked softly.

"Because, you're the only one that seems stable enough to hear this. Heero's too close to this, Wufei's… off because of this, and Quatra's way too emotional." She said softly, holding her clipboard almost protectively to her chest, her eyes glazing over in sadness.

Trowa just stood there for a while, as if thinking if he should ask or not. He wanted to know, he wanted to help Duo but, truthfully, if he was honest with himself, he was terrified of what Sally would tell him. He'd seen Duo, how he'd looked, he didn't want to know what lay in wait beneath what little cloth that he had been wearing. They all spent five years under this self made delusion that Duo just didn't want to be around them, that he was happy where he was, and that he would make a living like he was suppose to as a young man, when the truth was more horrifying than the taller male could ever wish on anyone. No one deserved to look like that, especially not someone as happy and adventurous as Duo. He swallowed hard, squaring his shoulder slightly before he rubbed his neck.

"How… is he?" he asked softly, wanting to scold himself at the hitching his voice made.

Sally lifted her gaze to him before she sighed and leaned against the wall, "Technical, or do you want me to lay it on you easy?"

"Just… tell me…" he said softly.

Sally nodded before she took a deep breath, "First off… We had to… shave what was left of his hair, it looked like it was already mostly hacked off, it was falling out as we touched it, it hasn't been washed in years, but that's not the reason we had to shave him. It looks like he'd taken a blow to the head, a bad one, there was some an extreme excess of fluid putting pressure on his brain, and we had to drain it. It was cloud, which tells us that it was infected…"

"An infection in his brain?" Trowa asked softly, he'd never heard of something like that.

"Yes. It's progressed into Encephalitis, and spread down his spinal cord into Meningitis. After the draining, we've put him on a wide range of antibiotics, hopefully that will get everything else in his system besides the brain injuries."

"Everything else?" Trowa asked softly, frowning at Sally, his eyes darkening a little.

"We haven't gotten the test results back but, his lungs are filled with fluid, we're hoping it's a mild strain of pneumonia, and not the alternative."

"And what would that alternative be?"

"Lung worms. It's highly unlikely giving the conditions he was put in during those five years, but we're covering all the bases that we can find. His malnutrition is a given diagnosis with his state, so is the dehydration. We were able to do a quick test and found his B12 levels to be extremely low, but that might just be because of his lack of the proper food. We'll know more once the tests get back… That's the stuff that I can tell you about so far, at least the things that can only be healed with medication."

"What else. Given his state, that can't be all…" Trowa said, the under tone in his voice a warning to her for holding back information from him.

"His left hand is completely shattered, healed several times on its own and rebroken. He's going to need surgery for it, his right one isn't as bad but it will need to lay in a cast until it heals properly. He has several broken bones in his shoulders, legs, and arms that will need rebreaking and proper setting, including his right leg. I did a quick once over, he's so thin…"

"I know…"

"I wrapped a chest cast around his ribs to allow the broken and cracked ones to heal. He's got scars all over his lower body, some of them I've been able to identify as burns from things like cattle prods, and several in the shape of seals, like the ones used to mark cows in the extremely old days by branding them… His left eye is completely swollen shut, probably sealed shut, he'll need surgery for that, too."

"Don't wounds like that heal on their own?" Trowa asked softly.

"If they're bruised and caused by a beating to the eye… No, I think there's pressure behind that eye, or he's had a small stroke that causes it to lie like that, it might've just been struck too many times and may be like that permanently. He might even be blind in that eye now."

Trowa rubbed at his own face, pinching the bridge between his eyes with his middle finger and thumb.

"Mentally, he's even worse from what I could tell." She said.

"He woke up?" Trowa asked.

"Briefly. We had to sedate him because his heart started racing, and his lungs closed up on him. We had to intibate him with a non-evasive tube. He won't be able to talk until it's removed. He started to talk to someone who wasn't there. Someone named 'Solo' or something like that. When he saw me, he started freaking out, screaming and trying to run away. He rebroken his shoulder wound, which was why we were able to sedate him. I noticed that his speech was slurred, slow, and broken. His accent kept switching between his properly spoken English, to the broken L2 slang, to Japanese, to a language only known on the Mars projects."

"What's that mean?" Trowa asked.

"He might have permanent brain damage due to the Encephalitis. I won't know more until both the tests results come back, and we have figured a cocktail where he can be awake, lucid but calm enough to keep from hurting himself."

"Give him Oxycodone…" Trowa muttered softly.

"Why?" Sally asked.

"Pain drugs effect him differently than most people. Morphine makes him loopy, the seeing pink elephants kind, he's allergic to something Hydrocodone, so don't give him that. I don't know what Oxycodone will do…" he muttered softly.

"I'd rather not test it since that's a very strong narcotic… Maybe a small bit of morphine will keep him lax enough to ask questions, but not enough to bring in the herd…" Sally said softly.

"When can we go in and see him?" Trowa asked, pushing his bang back in frustration and letting it fall back into place.

"He'll be awake in about three hours, but I suggest only one of you seeing him at a time."

"That's not going to settle well with Heero… I'm sure he's going to want to be the first one there." Trowa muttered softly.

"Do you trust Heero to be in the same room with Duo?"

"When it comes to Duo, Heero's going to be the best person for this. He loves Duo, and will do anything he can to help him. That's kind of what scares me. He's going to be so protective of Duo, that he might hinder his healing."

"You?" she asked.

Trowa looked down, "I don't want Duo to see me first. I was never close with him. No, the best choices are Quatra and Heero."

"You'll have to choose one of them. It doesn't matter which one, as long as they don't try to force him into something too soon."

"Both of them might try to do that, but Heero will follow orders if specifically given to him…" Trowa muttered, thinking as he looked down at the clean, linoleum floor.

Sally watched him, a small frown on her face. She was worried these four boys. They were taking this harder than they should be. She understood why Heero was taking it hard, she could understand why Quatra was taking it hard, but she could tell Wufei had been crying, and Trowa was so shaken up, that he was having difficulty deciding simple things like who would be best to go in and see Duo.

"Trowa… what's going on between the four of you? You and Wufei shouldn't be taking all of this as hard as you've been."

She winced at the question. It sounded like she thought they were heartless or something. She knew better than anyone that they weren't, but she couldn't help but feel like she'd missed something between these boys. Wufei had never been close to Duo, neither had Trowa, by his own admission, too. Trowa lifted his head up to her, as if thinking of his answer.

"He's one of us… one of our brothers, and we never even noticed that he was in trouble, that he was suffering. He got this way, and suffered for five long years while we twiddled our thumbs, thinking he'd gone on a trip around the world. We should've known that something was wrong when he just disappeared, but we didn't. We assumed that he was somewhere he wanted to be, somewhere where he was happy, and not suffering."

Sally could only watch as Trowa trembled in suppressed anger and resentment. She couldn't tell who he was more mad at right now, himself or the men who did this to Duo, and she didn't want to know. She dismissed it and looked around the hallway, as if waiting for something then turned to Trowa again.

"When you've decided who is going to go in, tell me so I can have them in when he wakes up. I think, even now, him waking up alone isn't a good thing."

Trowa nodded in understanding before he turned and returned to the waiting room to find Heero awake, and nursing a cup of steaming coffee. He was staring into it as he slowly turned the cup in his hands, letting them warm the appendages while occupying his mind. The Latin male watched Heero until he seemed to notice someone was watching him and lifted his head up.

Trowa bit his lip a little, mostly to break off the dryness that was forming on the top layer of flesh. He moved across the room and sat down beside Heero, making sure to give the other his space while sitting close enough to be comforting.

"He once told me… that he wouldn't be able to just disappear after the war. He thought that he was too close to all of us now. That all he wanted to do was to just settle down, go back to school, and get a job where he could do what he loved all the time. " Heero muttered softly, into his coffee cup, slowly taking a sip, then chuckling to himself, "I just don't understand… why didn't the alarms go off when he just disappeared. Why didn't I question where he went? Why didn't I look for him? Why did I just let it go?"

Trowa watched helplessly as Heero gripped the styrofoam cup tighter and tighter, the liquid spilling from the cup and onto the floor, scolding his hand. Heero relaxed his grip, letting the cup fall and clatter onto the floor.

"We all did, Heero. None of us thought twice about him disappearing, like we should have. It's not your fault, it's no one's fault. Listen, Heero… Sally's going to let one of us in to see Duo when he wakes up. Would you like to be the one to go in?"

Heero looked up at him, as if thinking then sighing softly, "I don't deserve to see him."

"None of us do, Heero. You aren't special out of all of us in the guilt department. We all are guilty, but I know that when it comes to Duo, you wont do too much to him, and cause him to regress. I want you to go in and see him, because he needs to wake up seeing someone, not thinking that he's still in that room. He needs to know that we are there, here, for him."

Heero looked down at his hands before he sighed softly, using them to scrub at his scalp and neck, nodding, "I want to be there when he wakes up. You sure Quatra wouldn't be better to be there for him when he wakes up?"

"Quatra's a little under the weather, or not himself right now. I've got to coax him back into being our Quatra before I want him anywhere near Duo. He's too fragile."

Heero swallowed before he looked Trowa in the eye, "Do you… know how he is? I saw Sally take you down the hall…"

Trowa swallowed a bit before he sighed, "I'll tell you what to expect so you aren't surprised when you see him."

Heero nodded before he straightened up, squaring his shoulders, getting ready for any and all information that Trowa could be giving to him, good or bad.

"First off, Heero… He had some swelling in his brain due to an infection, they had to shave his head to get to it."

"His… hair?" Heero asked softly, eyes on the ground.

"Sally said it was falling out anyways. She said it probably hadn't been taken care of since he was taken… It would've all fallen out anyways."

"But… it'll grow back?" Heero asked, voice cracking.

"It might."

Heero nodded, rubbing one wrist with his free hand then looking to Trowa, telling him silently to continue. For the next hour, Trowa explained what to expect from the other, and how he was suppose to be around him. Quatra and Wufei were woken halfway into the conversation by his voice, listening intently to what ever the Latin male had to say.

"We aren't entirely sure how bad his mental state is. Sally said he kept trying to talk to someone named 'Solo', but I don't know of anyone Duo would know by that name."

"Solo was the kid who took care of Duo on L2 before he was picked up by the Maxwell Church…" Heero supplied, shaking his head, "He died when Duo was eight."

"He's Hallucinating…" Wufei said softly.

"Yes. We don't know how bad he's going to be, or how bad he is, but we're going to have to work together to help him through this, and back to the Duo that we know him to be."

"He'll never be the Duo you knew him to be." Came a quiet voice from the entrance of the waiting room.

All four of them lifted their heads to the voice to see Zechs, Noin, and Une standing there. All three of them were still dressed in their Preventer's uniforms. Noin's hair was slicked back with sweat, her face flushed a little. Zechs looked almost the same, a bit of tiredness on his face but he seemed fine other than that. Une was looking pissed where she stood, a small frown on her face before she crossed to the four of them and sat in a vacant seat.

"We know that, but we have to do something to make him seem like he used to be. At least a little bit." Trowa said, looking over at Zechs after watching Une take her seat.

Zechs shook his head, "You don't seem to understand what he's going to be like in there."

"Neither do you, Merquise! You don't know anything about us, about Maxwell, or how he's going to be once he sees that all of us are real! You don't know anything!" Wufei snarled at him angrily, rising from his chair until Quatra pushed him back into his seat, sighing softly.

Wufei balked for a few seconds before he looked away, a little upset with himself for letting his emotions run rampant like they'd been for the last twenty-four hours.

"We aren't going to know at all how bad Duo is until we get in there and see him for ourselves, and we can't do that until he's out of the woods, so until then, everyone either back off, butt out or shut the hell up and wait." Trowa growled, his eyes narrowing and all eyes suddenly on him.

"Can any of you be a little quieter?" Sally asked from behind the two still standing Preventers.

All the focus was now on her, the other four pilots now on their feet, all with anxious looks on their faces, fists clenched and anticipation making their hearts race.

"Trowa." She turned to the banged male, ignoring the other three, "Did you decide?"

"Yes, and I've already prepared him for what he's going to see, and how he's suppose to do and say to him." Trowa muttered, wincing at how many 'ands' he just put in a single sentence, he was tired.

"Good. Heero, follow me." Sally said, her voice dropping into an even softer tone, like she was talking to a rather small child.

Heero swallowed the lump in his throat, wincing when he could taste the bile from it. He'd never thrown up in his life, but he felt like he was close to it right now. He didn't want to see Duo like this, but he desperately wanted to see the boy he loved again, so he squared himself off, steeled his nerves, and followed Sally down the hall.

"You have no open wounds or sores, correct?" Sally asked.

"Affirmative…" Heero said, wincing before correcting himself, "I have none on me… Why do you ask?"

"Because we've identified-… Trowa will tell you later." She said softly before setting her gaze before her again.

"Why wont you tell me yourself?"

"Truthfully, Heero, that whole 'can bend steal with my bare hands' thing still scares me." She said, turning down another hallway in the wing.

Heero blinked before he glared, "Truthfully." He snarled.

She looked at him, stopping her movements, "Truthfully. You being known for bending steal bars, sheets, and even bricks with your bare hands scares the shit out of me. I'm afraid of you taking your anger and frustration out on me."

Heero blinked before he shook his head, "I wouldn't do that to you."

"I don't want to chance it. Here's the room he's in." she indicated to the door behind her, the thing was closed tightly with a single slot of plastic for the clipboard.

Heero nodded and started for the door before Sally pressed her hand to his chest, stopping him.

"Talk gently to him, even if he's asleep. He needs the reassuring." She said before she turned and headed back down the hall.

Heero swallowed hard before he nodded at nothing, feeling his resolve crumbling again. He rolled his shoulders, shivering a little as his stomach twisted and churned uncomfortably. His legs shook, threatening to give out from under him. He didn't want to open the door but he found his hand on the knob, twisting it and pushing the door open.

The room was slightly lit by a small lamp on the table beside Duo. Heero swallowed hard again and reached against the wall. He found the white switch and flipped it up, bathing the room in light. He felt his heart drop slightly.

Duo was lying in a bed that was way too big for him. His head was wrapped completely in bandages that had slight patch of red on the right side. Heero could tell, even from where he was that Duo was completely bald under those bandages, and the thought broke his heart. He'd never seen Duo without his braid of hair, he'd never seen Duo care about anything more than that hair, and now. It was all gone. He didn't want to be the one to have to tell Duo about his hair, but he didn't want anyone else doing it either.

Heero frowned and shook his head, thinking to himself that he needed to stop being so bipolar with his thoughts. He let his eyes travel lower, putting aside the heart wrenching thought of a hairless Duo. His right eye hidden behind a square bandage that was tapped onto his skin, hiding the sight of what was under there from the world. The horribly mangled, probably unusable eye. His face was so gaunt, sunken in, he had a thin white tube down his throat to help him breathing. His right hand was bandaged in a tight cast, lying above the blankets. He could see from where he was the other in a similar position, but it was wrapped in a thicker cast up to his shoulder where it disappeared under the hospital gown he was wearing.

The silence of the room was pierced only by the spaced out, but steady beeping of the heart monitor that trailed the most wires to the American. Heero moved to the chair beside the bed and took a seat in it. He debated his next action for almost a full minute before he lifted his hand and gently laid it on the bed, slowly and lovingly stroking the only visible fingers in the cast of his right hand.

"I'm so sorry, Duo…" Heero muttered softly, "I promise, you'll never be alone again. If no one else is going to do it, I'll be there. I promise. I should've looked for you like I was supposed to. I should've just… I shouldn't have just assumed that you didn't want me around anymore. You were never like that before."

He spoke softly like that to the unconscious male before he felt the fingers give a small twitch, a sign Heero was looking for that the other was going to wake up. It was another half an hour before Duo opened his one eye, looking up at the brightly lit ceiling, as if he'd never seen one before.

"Bright… It's so bright…" Duo muttered, his voice dreamy and soft.

"Duo." Heero said softly, sitting up so Duo could see him without doing too much work.

Duo turned his head, looking at Heero then smiled, "We've got company, finally… What's he going to do?"

"I'm not going to do anything. Duo, it's Heero. Remember?"

"Looks like Heero, sounds like Heero. Heero imposter… They're called Doppelgangers, kid… That's a weird word…" Duo muttered, his voice hitching in the middle when he addressed, appealingly himself, as 'kid'.

"Duo, it's really Heero. I'm here, Solo's not." Heero said, getting frustrated.

Duo stared at him, his mumbling dropping to being under his breath before he laid back and looked back at the ceiling.

"Bright… It's so bright…" he said, repeating his very first sentence as if it was the first time he'd ever said it.

"Duo…" Heero muttered softly before he swallowed hard and took a deep breath, steeling himself, "Duo, I don't know how far gone you are, or if this is just a defense. You were always so good at hiding behind those masks of yours, sometimes even getting lost in them, but please hear this. Please understand me. I am the real Heero Yuy. You shot me when we first met, twice. Once in the arm, once in the leg.

You were trying to rescue Relena, and regretted it after that." He said, a slight chuckle in his voice, "I stole the parts for your Gundam, I made you worry so many times and I've never been nice to you, but listen to me now. I promise, and so do the others, Quatra, Trowa, and Wufei, to help you. We'll get you back, Duo. We wont give up on you, even if it takes us a life time."

Duo didn't seem to hear him, still muttering to himself before his voice trailed off. Heero lifted his head, watching helplessly as Duo's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went lax against the pillow.

"Duo?"

The machines attached to the American blared to life, sounding high pitched, rapidly beeping alarms. The heart monitor going haywire, the heart rate going higher and higher.

"Duo!" Heero called a split second before a long, resending tone followed his cry as the heart rate flat lined, "No!"

He felt hands grab him and roughly push him aside. He stumbled, loosing his footing and slamming into the wall near the door. He gathered himself onto his knees, feeling his heart beating wildly in his chest, his chest constricting, cutting off his lungs, he couldn't breath. He couldn't think. He could only watch as Sally attempted to revive Duo via invasive procedures of liquid adrenaline, and anything else before it didn't work.

Heero didn't see them come in, but Sally had some how gotten her hands on paddles and had them charging by the time Heero recognized what it was.

"Clear!" she shouted, the doctors and nurses leaping back as if Duo was a poisonous snake.

Heero could see the bandages that had been wrapped around Duo's chest for his lungs cut open. The paddles were placed one over the right side of his chest, or rather over his right lung, the other pressed towards the bottom of the left side of Duo's ribcage. He heard the thump of the shock and Duo's body jerked back to life for a few precious seconds. The machine told of two thumps of his heart before it flat lined again. The doctors and nurses attacked him again, pulling wires away, pulling the bandages out of the way more as Sally charged the paddles again.

Heero literally let out a startled yelp when a hand landed on his shoulder. He ripped his eyes from the sight and to the face of a startled nurse with long, red hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Sir, you can't be in here." She said, voice shaking.

"Clear!" Sally shouted.

Heero whipped his head to Sally, the thump sounded in his ears, and Duo's body jerked again. There was a pause where it seemed like time stood still as the machine sounded off one weak beat, two weak beats, then three, four, five.

"We have Sinus rhythm. I want him in another saline drip, and adrenaline until we find out what made his heart stop. Leslie, get Heero out of here!"

Heero felt the nurse pull him out of the room, only realizing what had happened after the door closed in his face.

"No! What's going on? Duo!"

"Mr. Yuy, there's nothing you can do! Please, return to the waiting room and Sally will tell you when she knows more."

Heero felt the hands pull him up and take him back to the waiting room. He didn't remember being handed to Trowa and Zechs, he didn't remember Wufei and Quatra fussing over them. He didn't remember the two sitting him down, or telling them that Duo coded. It was like he was in a dream, just floating, his mouth working against his will. He heard himself say Sally revived him and listened to the barrage of questions he didn't know the answers to before he closed his eyes and remembered no more. The darkness consuming him for the second time that night, his dreams now a nightmare of Duo being completely gone from this world, him being without that light. He couldn't even imagine it, but his nightmares did, and they spared no expense in showing him.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing, save for maybe the plot and a few OCs, but not the G-boys, or any names that you may recognize in this fiction.

To everyone who reviewed, sorry that i haven't answered any questions for you guys, but I'll try it on the next update. Life is getting too far ahead of me right now, and I'm getting slower than normal... I need an energy drink.

All the G-boys and girls: NOOO!

*blinkblinkblinkblinkblink* oookay. Or not.

Duo *clings to Ardra* Haven't I suffered enough?! I mean, what with all the things that you are planning, and all the things that you've done to me so far, with the torture, the emaciation and all! Do you think you can give a guy a break?

No. *four guns are suddenly drawn and pointed at Ardra just over Duo's head; sweat drop* Anyways, enjoy the newest chapter. This one is brought to you by the epic Rhea and the amazing Grace! ... Rhea, keep giving me ideas, and Grace... keep that foot up my ass, it's uncomfortable, yes, but it keeps me working... a little bit. Love you both.

Enjoy, all.

* * *

Many days and nights followed that long talk Trowa had with Duo. The four took turns talking to Duo, doing things with him or for him while he was sedately awake. It was difficult for them to get any progress with him at all, since he would just stare blankly at them for most of, if not the whole time they worked with him. It was like he couldn't see them, or he just didn't recognize any of them.

After two weeks of strong medication, Sally decided to try and see if she could get Duo breathing on his own. She set out simple instructions for the small male to follow. He didn't seem to understand why she was telling him to do these things but he followed them as she told them to him.

"Okay, Duo. I'm going to pull out the tube. Before I do, I need you to take a deep breath, and then exhale as I pull out."

Duo nodded slowly, taking in a deep breath before he felt the first tug of her pulling out the tube. He pushed the air out of his lungs, he felt himself gag, his stomach threatening to heave, but it had nothing to heave. He coughed a few times, wincing at how wet and ugly it sounded, like he had a cold. He felt something cold and solid be pressed into his hands as he looked down to see the plastic cup of water.

The others frowned as Duo seemed momentarily confused as to what to do with the water before he slowly started to drink it, taking the smallest sips of water any of the four had ever seen him take while drinking anything. He looked to be savoring it, his eyes closed, not swallowing the liquid right away, letting it rest on his tongue and in his mouth before he would let it trickle down his throat.

"Duo, I need you to test out speaking for me. Try to say something." Sally prompted, only to receive a curious and rather lost look from Duo, "Can you say 'hi'?"

"… H-hi…" Duo rasped out, coughing a few times and taking another tiny sip of the precious liquid.

"Do you know your name?" Sally asked.

"Responds ta it, din' I?" Duo asked, his voice still crackling but his accent was deep into the broken speech known as L2 slang.

"Do you remember what happened?" Sally asked.

"Naw… Bu' whens I fin's da young'in' dat tooks meh h're, I's gon'a throt' 'im. Ya cans bets on dat."

"Why are you talking like that?" Wufei asked, sounding slightly disgusted by Duo's broken slurred speech.

"Who's ya?" Duo asked, frowning deeply at him, his eyes narrowing suspiciously at his Preventer's uniform.

Four pairs of eyes glanced at each other, a bit skeptical on how to go on.

"You… don't remember me?" Wufei asked.

"Naw. I's 'member a pig likes ya." Duo said.

"Pig?!" Wufei snarled, starting to stand in his chair but a quick glare from Sally, a shove back into his seat by Heero and a warning snarl from Duo forced him back into his seat.

"It's slang for 'cop', Chang. Keep your temper." Sally growled at him.

The Chinese Preventer let out a grumble before turning his head away from Duo, showing that he wasn't going to do anything to him, but Duo kept a skeptical eye on him from now on.

"Do you remember me, Duo?" Quatra asked, sounding slightly hopeful.

Duo stared at him for a few minutes, as if searching his memories before he shook his head, "Naw, man. Ya looks likes Solo a bits, but ya be a bi' too shor'."

there was silence in the room for a while, as if all of them were mourning the fact the other couldn't remember him before Sally picked up her head.

"Duo… what year is it?" she asked softly.

"Er… 186?" he asked tentively, not noticing the other pilots blanching and looking at him like he was insane.

186 would mean that he still thought the war was going on, that the Alliance was winning, and that he was a random, semi nameless orphan on the streets of L2.

"Amnesia?" Quatra asked softly, "You said that the swelling might have caused brain damage…"

"It might be. Duo, tell me what happened at the Maxwell church." Sally prompted, sitting down, as if expecting a story.

"Maxwell Church? Wuzzat?" Duo asked, frowning deeply at her.

"You don't remember at all? G, Howard, Deathscythe, the others, the war, nothing?" Heero asked, his voice almost hitching.

"Wha'?"

"I need to talk to you guys. Out." Sally shooed them out of the door, being rewarded with the boys shuffling out of their chairs and into the hallway before she turned back to Duo, "Drink your water, and don't try to get out of bed."

"Wh'?" Duo asked, eyes narrowing challengingly.

"Because if you do, your heart will stop. We have a pacemaker, and automated heart valve attached to you to pump your blood, if you move, you'll knock the valve out and bleed to death from the inside." She said before she left the room, the door clicking silently after her.

Duo paled a little at her words before he looked down at his chest were little wires were harmlessly laying across his shoulder and chest, he reached up with his free hand and pulled the front of his shirt out and looked inside. Wires and suction cups were attached to his chest, seeming to do nothing, save for one bandage that was wrapped around a wire that pointed straight down his chest right over his left breast. He pulled his arm in his sleeve a little, ignoring the pull of the IV lines and felt where it dissapeared to.

His fingers followed it down and squeezed to feel the wire's path in the bandage until it ended right at his chest. Frowning, Duo started to peel back some of the bandage, looking under the wrapping to see that the wire went straight into his chest through a tiny cut made there. The surrounding area was yellow and smelled like the alcohol that he'd tasted once out of a dumpster, thinking that it had caught water. Pushing the bandage back into place and pulling his arm through the sleeve, he leaned back in the bed and let his violet eye wander, not even noticing the bandage around his right eye before he tried to mess with how he saw the placement of a line on the ceiling. He closed his right eye under the bandage, frowning a bit when the line didn't move to his left like it was suppose to, so he opened his right eye and closed his left…

Outside the door way, Sally was leaning against the door, listening closely to what could be going on inside the room.

"What are we going to do?" Quatra asked, "This could be permanent, couldn't it?"

"It could be, it could not be. Sometimes the mind will forget things that have happened to it because it's too much for it to handle, so it just deleats them."

"But why so far back?" Wufei asked softly, using the back of his hand to scratch an itch over his mouth, something that happened when he was starting to get worked up now, his mouth would develop an itching twitch, making him fidget like Duo used to while waiting for one of the others to return from a mission.

"I don't know… I only hope that he either remembers up to past the end of the first war, or remembers only a little of his experience in that room. Those would be the best scenarios for us to be able to help him."

"And the worse?" Trowa asked softly, looking her straight in the eye.

"He will either stay like he is forever, be the l2-slang talking child in a man's body that we see now, or he'll snap out of it, remember everything and possibly go insane…" she said softly, "The only reason that him regressing this far back is a bad thing, is because he wont remember the basics that he was taught while with G. Kids from L2 normally have problems learning, speaking, and are sometimes violent in nature because it's how they have to be to survive on the streets."

"We can handle all of that." Trowa told her, his frown deepening and his eyes narrowing, "Unless that's not all."

"They're also known to either become suicidal when removed from L2, or become addicted to some form of illegal substance. How G kept him from doing both of those when he took him in is beyond me, and he's too far gone to be asking any quest-"

"AHHH!"

All five of them jumped at the scream before they poured into the room. The signals blaring from the heart monitor, the mechanical heart valve working triple the speed it was pumping before. Duo was gripping his right eye, pulling the bandages off without either taking the time to be sure he wasn't hurting himself, or using the anti-adhesive to remove it.

"Duo!" Sally gasped, rushing over and forcing him down into the bed, forcing his hands from his face, Trowa moving over and taking up on arm to let her have one hand while Heero took up the other arm so she was completely freed.

"I's blin's now?! No! I can's be blin's! Cans hard'y kee' sav' ash its is!" he yelled, struggling before he looked at Sally, panting hard, his face paling, sweat breaking out all over his body, and the out rim of his lips starting to turn blue, "Naw…"

"Duo, calm down. You have to breath slower, get your heart rate down, you're overloading the machine. It can't get enough oxygen to your sped up system, you have to calm down." Sally said, fishing for the sedatives.

"Is can's." Duo gasped before he suddenly felt his body going lax against Heero and Trowa, he took a deep calming, shuddering breath despite his want to keep panting. He could feel his heart slowly slowing down back to its normal untraceable thudding and… he was calm again.

"Za hell?" Duo asked, frowning.

"Stay relaxed." Sally ordered as she filled the syringe.

"Ho's Is do'n dat?!" he demanded, jerking when Sally pulled his shirt up until she could get to the arm under the slight bandaging that was wrapped around his arm and forced the needle.

"Ow! Wha' da hell?!"

Sally ignored him, still working silently until she pulled out the needle, forced the shirt down then moved to throw out the syringe. Before she was even done, Duo was staring at the ceiling, looking dazed.

"Oh… shit…" he groaned softly, paling a little before he closed his eyes, shaking a bit.

"What was that?" Heero asked softly, frowning at Duo's reaction.

"A small, rather primative sedative. It appears that it makes him hallucinate." She said softly, smirking as Duo slowly fell asleep in the bed, "it's the strongest sedative we have without giving him an almost lethal dose of the usual stuff."

"I know this question is getting old, I don't even like saying it anymore, but what can we do for him?" Quatra asked, sitting on the edge of Duo's bed.

"And I'm going to give you the same answer that I always do. Unless we know if this is caused by brain damage or by retreating into himself for safety, there isn't anything you all an do besides what you are doing right now."

"How long is he going to be out?" Heero asked, looking down at Duo, frowning at how lax he was.

"Seven, maybe eight hours."

"Good. We need to go. Call us if he wakes up." Heero said, leaving the room with the other ex-pilots following behind him.

Sally frowned after them, slightly wondering what was going on before she had no choice but to dimiss it and returned to adding a more aggressive IV drip to Duo's line.

"Heero?" Quatra asked as soon as they stepped foot out of the hospital. The first time in days, really. All of them felt exausted, dirty, and more than a little tired. They'd been in the same clothes for five days now, waiting for the chance to see Duo.

"Since we can't get what happened from Duo, we're going to get it from the man who's done this to him." Heero said, leading them to where he slightly remembered the car being when Trowa drove them all to the hospital.

"We're going to question the man in the suit?" Trowa asked, arms folded over his chest as he was more than willing to let the Japanese male take over the whole thing.

"He's going to be the only one who will hold the information that we're going to need to help Maxwell." Wufei said, looking thoughtful as he followed in the rear.

"Right, and since he's the only one left, he's been asking for me, I'm going to talk to him."

"Not alone you aren't, Yuy. Preventers wont allow it. You either have me, Barton, Winner or Une with you while interagating someone, or you aren't going to see him."

"I'll do what ever is necissary."

The four climbed into the car, the ride horribly silent until they reached the Preventer's building. The four of them spent the better part of the next hour and a half showering, cleaning off and getting rid of the gunk and crud that they felt like had been collecting on their bodies since all of this started months ago.

* * *

"Forget it!"

All four pairs of eyes refussed to look away. The normal fear and slighty nervousness that had once clouded them while in this woman's presence no longer existed, all that was left was pure determination to get their ways.

"Lady Une, one way or another, whether it's by hacking our way in, or stealing inside, we're going to ask him questions, and see what he knows. You told us yourself that he refusses to talk to anyone, and only wants to see Heero, this way we get what we want, no rules are broken, and he gets to talk to Heero." Quatra explained softly, watching the woman's reaction carefully.

"And the answer is still no. We can't risk this man slipping through our fingers, he's the only connection between the rebels and us."

"He's also the only thing we have to help Duo with, and Duo might be able to give us more information than anyone could ever. Duo's always been excelent in mouthing off and getting people to talk to him, and he's good at piecing facts and lies together to come up with what ever is needed to get his mission done. If Duo remains as he is, even if it's only for the next year to year and a half, we'll loose any chance in getting the people who are doing this." Heero muttered softly, his eyes narrowed at Une.

"And what if you push him into commiting the same suicidal tactics as the other prisoners?"

"If he was going to commit suicide, he would've done so already. That man in there was meant to survive all of this and go about collecting us together like this. What his intentions were with Duo are unclear to us, and we need to know what he wanted and what he was actually able to get from Duo, if anything. Duo has knowledge of things about all of us, including the original schematics of your Gundams." Trowa rattled off from where he was leaning against the wall of the office.

"He… memorized them?" Une asked.

"All of them. Mostly so he would be able to take us out if we betraied him. A noble idea, but no one was able to get ahold of the blueprints to Deathscythe no matter how hard they tried, I know that I've tried hard to get ahold of them, just to see what his had that I didn't have, but no one was able to get them, as far as I know. Only Maxwell, those five scientists that trained us, and Howard know how to build Deathscythe." Wufei explained.

"The fact that they took Duo instead of, say me, shows that they knew Duo had information that no one else did. They would know that he'd memorized all the blueprints to more than one Gundam, where as most of us four, if not all of us, only memorized the schematics of our own Gundams. I know that I don't know the inner workings of Heavyarms, Wing Zero or Shenlong, but I know everything about Sandrock, but I saw Duo once repairing Sandrock after I was injured after a mission. It was a small patch job, but it was for a major part of the system for my Sandrock. He not only knew what the problem was, but he was able to hack into Sandrock, upgrade the security for me, repair the damage and take care of me."

"Duo was valuable in that sense, but he had other things that he knew of besides the Gundams. He knew how to build Leos, Tauruses, and Mobile Dolls. Duo's not someone that we just let go to waste around here, and you know that." Heero grunted.

"But you did just let go to waste when you thought he dissapeared."

Heero growled, as did Wufei but Quatra placed a hand up to stop them, "That's not fair, Une. You thought he'd gone to do as he wanted as well. You can't force that onto us."

"No, I can't, but what I can do is have an agent in the room with the four of you."

"Why?" Trowa grunted, frowning deeply.

"to make sure that you don't do or say something stupid to him." She growled back, not liking how any of them were acting twords her.

She was more used to the way they'd become. More a little scared about what she could force them into than what stood before her. Quatra stood where he was, the silent, calm, kind one. His movements and words held kindness but his eyes held an intensity that begged for someone to toy with him, a profuct of him being effected by the Zero system for a long period of time. Wufei's gaze was intense, waiting paitently for someone to make a move to where he could strike them down. Heero was defidently reverted back to his old way, his eyes emotionless, his voice more of a monotone than it normally is these days. He even adorned the green tank top and black shorts that hugged his lower half a bit too well, and Trowa was silent, talking only when he needed to and not any time sooner.

"We're going in." Heero grunted to her, voice conveying nothing as he turned and exited the room, the others following after him, Quatra being the only one to give her any acknowledgement after that clipped response by smiling kindly at her then following after them.

Une staied in her chair, unmoving, waiting. The door opened and closed silently, if she wasn't facing it, she wouldn't have noticed.

"They're reverting back to their soldier ways. Duo's become the most important mission that they could ever have right now. I'm more worried about Heero than any of them. He's prone to using exessive force during the old wars, and Quatra has that Zero-self that we have to keep an eye on. Wufei wont do anything if it means that there's an innocent involved that could be effected, and to him, Duo's that innocent. Trowa's the glue right now. He's the only one keeping them from either lashing out or killing someone. From how I saw Quatra back at the hospital, he's spent this past week keeping the others sane."

"He's taking up Duo's old job." Came the short reply.

"Correct. It's opposing roles now. How bad was Duo?"

"We've been able to pin point a bit of the damage from Sally. He's got extensive brain damage that's made him think that he's an eight year old boy once again, probably captured during a heist from his history. He was picked up and escaped several times as a child, only picture ID was ever able to be atained for records, but they weren't ever investigated."

"Anything else?"

"Sally's working mostly on his body right now. His mind has taken a sidelined position, his body weight, and the internal damage to his organs are her major concern and that's what she's focusing on."

"Help her out any way that you can to get him healthier faster. I need him to remember what all happened in that room."

"And if it's self induced?"

"I trust that you can find something to snap him out of it, or atleast push the other pilots in a direction that would make it to where they will be able to do so for themselves. It's a real shame. Duo and Heero were the only pilots I was truly gunning for actual missions."

"Why?"

"Because, unlike the other soldiers of this unit, they work better together than anyone else. I saw them tag teaming in battle once. Duo's defensive, predatory style enhances Heero's kill-first-ask-questions-later style, and the fact that they trust eachother better than the other pilots, even if it's unconciously, shows that they would be better as team mates, no matter the cercumstances."

"And the others?"

"Added bonuses… Yes, it's probably wrong to go after certain pilots and not all of them, but Heero's the best at what he does, and with his unstable personality, especially around people he doesn't know, I needed someone he could trust, and Duo was the only person who stood out at the time."

"And now he's injured, incompacitated and unable to help a soul, much less his own."

"Which is where you come in. I know it's not your style, and all, but I feel that there's something coming that you would have an absolute fondness for, and if I want to be sure that we all end the same way that we began while all this is going on, we're going to need all five of the Gundam pilots able to do more than talk."

A short chuckle was her reply at first, "I understand. Of course it's not what I would normally do, but neither is murder, which, I expect, is the reason you're asking me and not say… Zechs Marquise."

"I know Zechs would never murder someone of importance to the Preventers, or anyone for that matter now that the war is over, at least not intentionally, but he's too close to Noin, Sally, and Relena, who I don't want even knowing that we've found Duo."

"You expect Miss Relena to be behind a piece of this?"

"Not at all, but I just want to be sure that nothing happens to interfere with Heero, and if she sees how Heero is reverting, she's going to try to do something, and I can't allow her to do that. I don't need Heero Yuy, I need the Perfect Soldier. I don't kneed Trowa Barton, I need Nanashi. I don't need Wufei Chang, but the pilot of Nataku, nor Quatra Winner, but the pilot of Sandrock."

"And you need the power of a God on your side."

"Exactly. So, you see, Dorothy, I need this done quickly, quietly, and without hesitation."

The long haired blond chuckled, her right arm folded over her chest, holding her elbow up with her balled fist, letting the fingers of her left hand toy with her forked eyebrows, "I see. I will do what I can with as much as I can, but what's in it for me, really?"

"The chance to see battle again. I fear that another war is apon us, and this time, it's not going to be smoothed over with just plain Pacifism talks. The Preventers were created to prevent the peace in the world from going away, and now something is going to be threatening this peace that we've strived to create. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"I see… is that the reason for the large shipment of Gundanium that seems to have appeared out of nowhere."

"You don't know about that, and it will keep between you, me, and that doorknob."

Dorothy smiled before she nodded, "I understand. I'll get started." She turned and left the office, leave Une still in the same position that she had been in when Dorothy first walked into the room.

"If I'm correct, we're going to need everything that I've been doing this whole time. I only hope that those pilots aren't too rusty to where this will all blow up in my face. I don't know where you went, Duo, or why you decided to retreat like you have, but we're going to need you. You might not like it, but I'm going to need you to defend the colonies once more with the others. Get well…" she said to no one in the room before she pressed the buzzer on her desk.

"Ma'am?" her receptionist answered, a mousy little girl that was fresh out of school.

"Send me Agent Wind, Zechs Merquise. Tell him that it's urgent." Une said before there was confirmation on the other line.

"You called for me, Commander Une?" came the Count's smooth voice as he entered, the door not even making a single noise to indicate it was opening and closing.

"The pilots are going in to talk to the prisoner that we captured in the house that 02 was found in. I need you to be there, in the room, with them while they talk to him. The four should balance each other out, but I don't want Heero doing something stupid and causing us the only lead that we have."

"Understood." Zechs grunted softly.

"Use any and all force necissary to keep that prisoner alive. I don't care if you have to throw Heero through the two-way mirror to keep him from doing something he's not suppose to. Keep... him... alive..."

"Roger." Zechs grunted softly before he turned and left, the door finally making a clicking noise behind him, leaving Une to lace her fingers together, elbows on the smooth, waxed wood top of her desk, watching him leave with a flick of his long, blond hair.

'Let this be the right thing…'

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing, save for maybe the plot and a few OCs, but not the G-boys, or any names that you may recognize in this fiction.

So, my birthday was yesterday, so I figured that I would treat my readers to an update. I guess. XD I don't consider this a good update, really, but it's better than nothing, and maybe I can get a little further.

If anyone is interested, there will be a short story, maybe a semi long fic coming soon. This one, I'm going to actually wait until the whole thing is done before posting it instead of doing it chapter at a time like I have been. Anyways, so thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy this... not-very-good-but-does-exist update...

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

"Heero... You know that you aren't going to be able to rough house this man, right?" Quatra asked softly, watching the other male slowly pull his Preventer's vest over the clothes he was wearing.

"Hn..." Heero grunted softly, fixing the vest to look as perfect as he could, trying hard to ignore the small blond before he pulled him around facing him with a stern look in his eyes.

"Listen to me now, Heero. I want to get this guy as much as you do for what he did to Duo, but we can not risk this man being lost like the others. We still need him." Quatra said softly, eyes stern and heavy.

Persian blue eyes locked with Aquamarine for a while before he finally looked away, "Fine..." he grunted as he took his arm from the smaller boy.

"He is right, Agent Light. This isn't something you should just walk in on, thinking that everything will be in the way you manipulate in your head." Zechs muttered softly as he moved into the room, looking at the four boys, the four he'd come to consider friends at one point.

"What do you want, Merquise?" Heero growled softly, getting really fed up with this man kept appearing in all of this.

"Relax. I was sent here by Une to make sure that you don't do anything stupid and end up causing the prisoner harm."

"You aren't going to interfere?" Heero asked softly.

"Only if you don't do anything that will cause us to loose the only person connected to all of this that we have left."

The four nodded, all of them accepting it for now.

"What do you know on this guy?" Wufei asked.

"Nothing much. He refuses to divulge a name, where he works, anything. He wont tell me who he works for or anything. He's... nothing." Zechs explained, "All he says is that he wants to talk to you, Heero."

"He asked for me?" Heero asked, feeling like he's asked this question before and gotten an odd ass answer.

"By name..."

"... I should go in alone..."

"Only if I go with you." Zechs said.

"That defeats the meaning of the word 'alone'." Heero growled.

"And I can't allow you to be alone with him, Heero. It's not the best thing when you're still pissed at himf or what he did. Either I go in, stay in the corner while you talk to him, or you don't go in."

Heero's eyes narrowed, glaring. He could see the other wasn't going to back down, but his pure stubbornness that he'd picked up during the past five years didn't want him to back down from his man.

"Heero!" Quatra hissed, glaring back at him before the Jaoanese male blinked and seethed silently.

"Fine… stay in the corner, don't say a word." Heero growled at him, eyes narrowed.

Zechs nodded, frowning at him as the Japanese male muttered something to Trowa, who nodded back to him and started for the interrogation room.

`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`--`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`

He didn't know how long he'd been here, just sitting and waiting, all he knew was that the wall, the mirror and the table were starting to annoy him, as well as the slight tingling in both ass cheeks as they seemed glued to his chair. He boredly picked at the cuff of the shirt the Preventers gave him to change out of his suit for, fingering the fraied end.

'All you have to do… is make him talk… that's all. The longer he talks, the longer you live.'

That thought rang in his head like a bad headache. He just needed to keep talking no matter what, and everything would work out for himself. That was all. He wondered where the men would be right now. He wondered if they would be pinning at his bedside, hoping that he would survive or be the same man that they all knew five years ago.

He chuckled bitterly before the door opened. He felt his breath run short when he saw who he was waiting for walk in, blue eyes set into an intense glare at him, his arms folded over his chest and being followed by the Preventer that's been getting on his nerves. Agent Merquise was the one pilot that his boss has absolutely no interest in. He didn't even fall under the 'interesting pilot' category that his boss put up. He was a secondary man, someone to get to someone important in the world, like his sister, Relena.

He watched Merquise place himself in a corner in the room, trying to be silent and pretend that he wasn't there, but he wouldn't be able to ignore the fact that he couldn't talk to Yuy alone. His gaze turned back to the young man that he was so interested in. He watched as the chair before him was pulled out, legs scraping across the flat surface of the floor and the ex-Wing Zero pilot lowered himself into the chair, still glaring at him, still looking at him with such hate and loathing in his eyes. He smiled to the young man, amused how his eye would twitch as he did so.

"Good evening, Agent Yuy." He crooned softly.

"I don't have a name to call you…" Heero murmured softly to him.

"Smith. That's a pretty common name, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't know or care about things like that, Smith…" Heero muttered, trying to think of senarios that would make this man want to take a on a common name.

"Where did you get your name? Not from family?"

"It's not my name. I've chosen to take it on after it was given to me as a call sign. We're not here to talk about me."

"Of course we are."

"No, we aren't. I want to talk about Duo, and the man who did this to Duo; you."

"We can't talk about Mr. Maxwell until we've gone through you, Mr. Yuy." He purred.

Heero blinked that the man could actually purr like a cat. He'd seen Quatra do it when he was drunk, and the only other time that someone, not drunk, would do it would be Duo when he was flirting with people and really wanted to make them think that he was interested in them.

"You want to talk about me?"

"Of course."

"Fine. Talk."

"Where were you born?"

"I don't remember."

"What was your first memory?"

"Why?"

"I'm curious."

Heero growled at him, "I'm not answering that."

"Then I'm not answering any of your questions."

"you haven't even started to answer the questions that I have."

"Quid pro quot?"

Persian eyes narrowed. A quid pro quot was when he would ask a question, receive an answer, and the whole thing would start over again with the other guy, back and forth until the both of them were done with the game.

'Mission Accepted.'

"Fine. I'll go first. Why did you grab Duo?"

"I was told to."

"Why?"

"I believe that it's my turn, 01." The man said, smirking as he leaned forward, pressing his elbows to the table and placed his head in his hand, "Tell me about your very first memory."

'Again!?' Heero thought, half tempted to tell the man to fuck himself when the thought of him never telling about the capture of Duo made his stomach flip and reconsider. He had to do this for Duo, it was the only way he could get answers.

"I was hidden under some rubble, there were men all over the place. Looking for enemies, or what ever it was. I remember wondering what happened before someone knelt in front of where I was hiding and pulled me out of the rubble. Odin Lowe. He took me in and took care of me… Why were you told to grab Duo?"

"The boss thought that he would be the easiest to get the information out of since he didn't lie. Really, none of us thought that he would just stubborn his way through these past five years… What happened to Odin?"

"He died. He was shot while trying to kill the leaders of the Alliance attack forces, he died in front of me, so I blew the place up to complete his mission for him."

the man nodded, looking at him intently, making Heero's skin crawl before he leaned forward himself.

"What information were you after that involved Duo?"

"Not Mr. Maxwell. All of you, and none of you really. We just needed the plans that he remembered. The Mobile suit plans."

Heero felt the triumph just slightly at that. They were right about what they were looking for from Duo, but why would they be looking for information like that during a time of peace.

"You're looking to start another war." Heero muttered.

"I am not. I was just hired to get information from someone, who and what information they want and for what reason isn't something a concern myself with, but these past five years, watching that young man do what he did for so long. It got me a little curious about the rest of you, and you. You know… when he was being put through the sensory deprivation, he kept talking about you to himself. Heero this, and Heero that. Heero wouldn't have allowed himself to be captured and tortured like this. He would've gotten away long before this."

A deeper frown appeared on Heero's face as he listened to this man, the one who helped to torture Duo taunt the way the young man would talk to himself. He didn't like it but kept himself in check, he didn't want to provoke him to mocking further.

"Why would you grab Duo, why not me?"

"I believe it's my turn to ask the questions."

Heero growled softly, leaning back, folding his arms over his chest once more.

"I noticed something about you, Mr. Yuy. You get so mad when I mention Mr. Maxwell's name, or say something about him that you would consider to be evil, or mean."

"what's your point?" Heero growled.

"Why are you so angry at me for this?" he asked, leaning forward a little more, elbows slidding over the table.

"You kidnapped my best friend and tortured himf or five years. You're lucky I'm not across the table beating the shit out of you."

"I see… Your best friend…" the man said softly, his free hand unfolding from over his chest to trace an invisible pattern onto the table.

"Now, answer my question. Why did you take Duo and not me?"

"I told you why. We thought he would be easy to get the information out of, but it proven to be the wrong thing to do. We didn't take into account that he was just stubborn... Why are you so intent on finding this information out about Mr. Maxwell? Shouldn't you just be worried about the fact that the man I work for is about to start a new war?"

"You admit that?" Zechs asked from where he was sitting.

The man closed his eyes, trying to tune out Zechs before he frowned and opened his eyes again, turning them to Heero, as if he was going to blow at any second, "I told them that I was only going to talk to you. I don't care if he's here, but he will not speak."

Heero glanced at Zechs, a deep frown on his face.

'I guess that isn't going to be apart of the plan... Keep him talking about the plans.' Zechs mouthed to the other Preventer, knowing that he would be able to read his lips and understand him.

Heero shook his head, turning back to the man, "You... don't seem to like the fact that I am not following your line of questioning." Heero murmured, ignoring the frustrated roll of the eye from Zechs.

"You aren't reacting like I thought you would, Mr. Yuy. From your files, you're suppose to be the one that would be straight forward to the most dangerous topics, putting yourself out there for the sake of the rest of the human race. You are more focused on 'your friend' than the danger that could be looming over your mission."

"People change."

"No, they don't, Mr. Yuy. They want you to think that they changed, but in the end, if you put them in a senario like how they used to be, you see that they haven't changed at all... You're trying to make me think that you've changed from your days during the war, what's one file."

Heero let a small smirk spread across his face, looking more predatorial than anything before he scoffed and opened his mouth to respond.

"Unless..." the man interupted, leaning forward tauntingly, "You are angry at my men..."

"Angry at them... yes. we've established that already." Heero growled softly.

"Yes, you told me you were angry that we stole your friend from you... but I think that... you're angry at my men... for stealing away /Duo's/ first time from you."

Heero felt his hear plummet, his body turned cold. He must've physically showed his reaction because the man just smiled at him.

"There we go... that's what's gotten your goat. You aren't mad that we took a comrade from you... you were lusting after the little fairy and wanted to fuck him first. Is that it?"

Heero narrowed his eyes, leaning forward, "You know nothing..." he growled softly.

"You want to know, want to see? There was a camera in the room, filming every time one of them had a turn at him. Want to hear him moan as they took him time and time again? Want to see how he looked every time he was taken?"

His fists clenched, he felt his lungs close around themselves. He couldn't breathe, his vision was turning red, his body trembled from the lack of oxygen.

"I bet you'd get off, watching as each of those men fucked him, showed him his first time. How he would moan and groan, how we even found a way to make him enjoy it. He turns out to be such a slut even after all of this. After all that he's saved himself for, for nothing as he turned into the little L2 slut he was suppose to be!" He laughed at him.

Zechs watched the whole thing unfold silently, inside he was seething angrily himself. He wanted to kill the man, and could see the intentions in Heero's eyes as well. He could see the way his body tensed, and trembled with the exertion of holding himself back. He idly wondered if he should push Heero out of the room before he could do something a split second before Heero suddenly vaulted over the interview table, attacking the man out of his seat.

"Yuy!"

Heero grabbed the tacky gray shirt colar in one hand and raised his hand above his head. His fingers curled into a fist and his mussels coild, clenched before he let it release, throwing the fist harder than he could ever remember throwing into the man's face. A sickening cracking sound could be heard as the man's cheek bone shattered under his fist, but Heero didn't hear it or notice it as he raised his fist and struck the man again, moving down the body as he did so.

Zechs scrambled over and grabbed ahold of Heero's arm, trying desperately to pull him off of the witness, but the Japanese ex-pilot showed the final proof that he was, is and forever will be more powerful than the long haired Lightening Count. Heero continued to punch every part of the man's body that he could see or get his fist on. It wasn't until the other three pilots rushed into the room that they were finally about to get the irate Japanese male off of the now bleeding form of the man from the room.

The three pulled Heero out of the room, pulling him into the showers. Trowa and Wufei forced him onto the tile floor, restraining him as Quatra flipped the water on. The water beat down on the two struggling Asians and one frustrated European. Heero sputtered and thrashed as water invaded his nasal cavity, keeping him from breathing what little he could breath. He opened his mouth and gasped desperately for air. Trowa flipped Heero over, forcing his face into the tile as Wufei held his head up from the tile to keep him from drowning.

The three staied like that for what felt like hours as they waited for Heero to calm down. Once he was, they slowly relaxed their holds on him and let him up again. By then, two hours had passed, and all four of them were exhausted.

"I'm sorry..." Heero muttered miserably, still sitting under the frigid assault of water with the remains of his fellow pilots.

"That was an intense twitch..." Wufei muttered softly, feeling as drained as Heero looked.

"One minute he was interested in Heero... the next he was so horrible... talking like that..." Quatra muttered, feeling his lower lip tremble, as if trying to keep from sobbing.

"Congradualtions..." came Une's voice, her voice bitter and nasty as the four looked at her, none of them really interested, "You've just succeeded in almost killing our only lead and landing him in the hospital. I don't know how he's going to be."

Her words fell onto deaf ears as all four of them turned back to each other seeking comfort from the silence of the others around him, hoping that it will eat away the hurt, the pain and the guilt they had for the the past few days over all of this, over everything. the fact that they failed their friend, and that they were continuing to fail him. They couldn't do anything.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

Duo opened his eye and looked around the room, sighing miserably as he sat up before he looked around the room and his sight fell on Solo, who was lounged in the chair.

"Sol." he breathed in relief at the sight of what he considered to be a boy older than him, "Sol... What time is it?"

"About three in the evening, kid. I can't stay long."

"Why not? Take me with you." he muttered softly.

"You know I would if I could, squirt. Just close your eyes, count to five and all will be okay, remember?"

Duo smiled and nodded, leaning back into the bed and looking up at the white ceiling. He winced at the light, how it seemed to burn his eyes before he closed them and began to count. Once he reached the designated number, he opened his eyes and looked over at the chair, Solo was gone. He pouted before the door to the room opened, catching his attention. He watched the door slide open and a woman with long blond hair slipped into the room.

Dorothy smiled when she saw that Duo was awake and glided over to him.

"Oh, good. I was hoping that you would be awake." she said happily.

"who be you?" Duo asked, slipping into the slang again.

"My name is Dorothy. I was just coming to visit you." she said.

"Why?"

"You see, I used to be someone that you were slightly acquainted with. We didn't know each other on a personal level, but we knew of each other."

"Okay..."

"You do know... that you are about twenty-two years old, right?" she asked.

Duo sighed softly and nodded, "I asked what had happened to me... one of the people said that I was older than I thought I was and told me my age..."

"You aren't in the slang anymore..."

"No... I remember being taught how to talk normally..."

"Why do you still do it?"

"Because I don't remember anything else... I just... I don't know what to do..." Duo muttered softly, looking down at his lap, feeling overwhelmed.

"I see." she said, looking over across the room as the door slid open again.

Duo lifted his head to the door, confused as to why it would be opening again. The door bounced off the wall a little from the force of it being opened. Violet eyes widened, his chest constricted hard. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. Faintly, he heard the sound of someone screaming as if they had just been stabbed through the hand. He could hear the blood curdling scream, the monitors attached to him flaring to life and beeping rapidly, alarms wailing as the screamer continued to scream over them. He felt his heart hammering against his rib cage, then pain laced up the left side of his body. He barely recognized that he was the one screaming, and that he shouldn't be because of the pace maker attached to his heart.

Darkness consumed his sight before he was thrown into pitch black darkness, pain consuming him before... he remembered no more.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing, save for maybe the plot and a few OCs, but not the G-boys, or any names that you may recognize in this fiction.

So... I haven't updated in a few days. The last one was extremely short and I apologize for it. Thank you all who wished me a Happy Birthday, and yes, there's going to be a bit of trouble in the next few chapters. The last chapter probably wasn't clear... and I'm sad to say this one isn't any better, but all will be explained... -_- sometime in my life time, I hope. Please, don't get discouraged, everything will get better. I promise... or will it?!

As always, enjoy.

* * *

Blue eyes opened slowly, looking straight up. Pure white. White was good. White meant there was nothing to mar it, perfect. His vision focused and he frowned deeply, seeing that the white was speckled with black, paneled insulation. Silver lined in between every other panel with a florescent light hanging inside the silver holder. Paneled insulation, florescent lights, amazing, smell. Hospital. He felt that not much time had passed since he blacked out, maybe three, four hours. He shifted a little bit, feeling the odd crackling noise of the fake bed moving under him, shifting under his weight.

"Heero?"

Blue eyes squinted before he turned his head to where the noise had come from. Trowa. He would've guess it himself if he wasn't so... muddled right now. It seemed to him that boy, no man, was being everyone's rock now. He was the one keeping them together, taking up a roll that he hadn't had before, one that was very much likely not something that he was used to doing. Still, even with that burden, his eyes still looked cold and calculating. He idly wondered how anyone could stand to look at him, and briefly wondered if his eyes looked like that as well. Duo had once told him that his expressions scared the shit out of him because it looked like he didn't have any at all.

"Need a pill?"

Heero blinked at the sudden question, not expecting it before he frowned softly. Pills.

He turned his gaze around. He saw the counters, lined with jars full of different medical equipment. The walls were lined with anatomical posters, and pictures. Cabinets stood where they were fixed to the walls, showing very little if any of the white wall behind it.

"Heero."

"No. I don't need a pill yet." Heero muttered, sitting up onto his elbows and looking down at the pristine white of the bedding.

"Hn. How many Q-tips in the jar, Heero?"

"Five hundred and seventy-f... I don't need a damn pill, Trowa."

"You know that it would help you focus." the banged male murmured softly.

"And make me tired as hell. I lost control for a little while, but now I'm fine."

Trowa frowned at him, watching him before he leaned back against one of the cabinets, keeping a close watch on him. Heero looked at him as he swung his legs to the floor before he frowned, looking around then sighed softly. Calloused hands ran through his hair, scratching at the smaller hairs in the back before he lifted his head again.

"Half... I'll take the other half after I've visited Duo." Heero murmured softly.

Trowa nodded as he pulled a pill bottle from his back pocket, where Heero suspected it's been this whole time. All of them had spares of his pills, much to his own dismay. He slightly wondered why it took anyone this long to force a pill down him, but then again he hadn't been smashing things into the floor before. He watched as Trowa shook a large, white pill out of the bottle and set it on the counter, making Heero twitch a little.

The other placed the pill between his index and thumb for both hands before he broke the pill in half. Heero held out his hand and accepted the pill from the other as the other half was placed back into the bottle and recapped for later on. Heero looked at the pill and resisted the urge to tell the other than the pill was slightly bigger than half, there was ridges that jut out and made it longer but he resisted and just dry swallowed the pill before the urge over took him.

"Where are the others?" he asked, finishing his swallowing movements before settling back into the bed as Trowa began to rifle through the drawers and cabinets, looking for something.

"Quatra's gone to see Duo, what was said really shook him up. Wufei's writing a report of what happened and Zechs is taking the shit to the hospital to make sure that nothing happens to him before someone else can interrogate him further."

"Hn... What happened after I leaped over the table?"

"You remember what happened?"

"No, but my fist hurts and I remember what that prick said about Duo... Did you send someone back to that building?"

"Yes, and there was no camera, wires or anything to show signs that anyone in there was recording what happened to Duo, or if they'd ever had. I think it was only to try and get a rise out of you..."

"Well, it worked."

"... Heero, Wufei and I were talking, and we agree. Maybe this kind of thing, how long it's been, Duo should go and have professional help."

"You want to commit him?" Heero asked, frowning deeply at the other.

"You know that it's not all that bad."

"That might push him further back into himself. We don't know."

"Which is why he should be seeing a professional, Heero. You know that since we have no idea what we're doing, if we do even one thing wrong, he's lost to all of us forever."

"... He doesn't need to be alone. Being prod at. He had five years of that."

"You're back on your pills." Trowa muttered softly.

"... Go with him?"

"At least to let him know that he has someone he can trust completely on the inside. You're due for another psyche evaluation, anyways."

"Hn..." Heero grunted softly, frowning a bit before he sighed, rolling his shoulders, suppressing the urge to moan as his spine realigned in a few places, sent relief to parts of his back that he hadn't known were even tense to begin with.

"My pill has kicked in. You going to take me to the hospital or do I have to go by myself?"

Trowa chuckled before he motioned for the door.

* * *

Quatra paced quietly back and forth, as if attempting to wear a whole into the floor. He wanted answers, but there was no one around to give them to him. He didn't know what to do, who to go to or what to think. He could only wait until something else had happened.

He'd gone in to see Duo, hadn't made it even into the hallway to Duo's room when his space-heart was stabbed with a crippling, debilitating grip of fear. He didn't know what it was until he realized who it was coming from. He didn't even make it to Duo's room to see if he was all right, but he could hear the screaming coming from the small room before he was grabbed by security and shoved into the waiting room, not allowed near the hall.

When the fear finally subsided, there was nothing. It was like the feelings and the person feeling them had dropped off the face of the Earth. He didn't know what to do or what to think other than the worse. His calls weren't going through at Preventers. He couldn't get Trowa to pick up his cell phone, and he suspected it was because he was wrestling a pill down Heero's throat, maybe even trying to drown him in yet another shower.

Small hands ran through blond hair before he collapsed into a chair, shaking a little as he tried to reach out to Duo again. He was lost. He couldn't find his emotions, or his soul anywhere. He ran through all the possibilities he could think of and the only thing that seemed to be fitting were two reasons. One, Duo was dead, or two, he was knocked out completely and wasn't feeling any emotions. He doubter the former was right, since Sally hadn't come to tell him of anything and he really didn't think anything would've happened after Duo was put on the bi-pass machines.

Everything that was happening to all of them. His head leaned against the back of the chair, thinking over the past five years, going over how he could have missed so much pain from someone he considered to be his best friend. He remembered sometimes feeling sadness or hopelessness for no apparent reason, but he'd gone through a bout of depression after the war. They all had, some worse than others so he wasn't sure if those feelings were caused by the depression or by maybe Duo feeling particularly lonely or depressed by his surroundings. Quatra couldn't imagine being imprisoned in a small room for five years with torture being the only stimulus that the brain could go through on a day to day basis.

"Quatra?"

The blond heir jerked, looking up to see Trowa standing over him, a small frown on the other's face. Blue eyes blinked when he saw that Heero was standing slightly behind the taller man. Quatra felt his eye twitch as he knew that he'd fallen asleep in the chair, his neck was tense, stiff from sleeping with his neck back. He looked to the clock, frowning when he saw that two hours had passed without him noticing, or being awoken with any news.

"Is everything all right?"

"I don't know. I went to visit Duo, but I couldn't even get close to his room. Something was going on down the hall and they wouldn't let me in."

Trowa nodded, grabbing Heero by the collar and forcing him into a seat before the other could go down the hall and find out what was going on. He gave him a pointed look then moved to the reception desk.

"How are you holding up, Heero?"

"I'm not going to break. You all don't have to keep asking me if I'm going to live."

"That's not what we're asking, Heero. Did Trowa give you a pill?"

Heero twitched before he turned his deathglare onto the small blond, "Yes, he did. Now drop it."

The blond winnder nodded, knowing that Heero wouldn't lie about that, but also knowing that he might just need a little time and space. They settled into their chairs, starting to play the waiting game again.

"I'm done." Heero growled after a few minutes, getting up and moving to leave the waiting room when Trowa stopped him, a stern look on his face.

"Chair, Heero." he said, his voice sounding more like a master telling a dog a command.

Heero glared challengingly before he moved back and sank back into his chair, still glaring.

"We have a another problem."

* * *

"How the hell do you mistake the number 198 with 202?! There's four fucking numbers between them in the damn number chart and a whole fucking floor in this hospital!"

"He's in surgery right now. It seems that someone had their hand in the list and he was bumped." Trowa explained, looking out the window into the crowded streets.

Quatra blushed before he sat back, "All I said was I would be paying for all his medical bills..."

"It doesn't matter. he's getting the medical help that he needs. What does it matter how it was done?"

"After he's finished recovering, maybe we should have it done."

"Hn..." Heero grunted softly, running his fingers through his hair before he straightened up a little, "I'll go as well. Voluntarily, this time."

"Doesn't mean you'll be let out when you wish to be."

"Hn... I don't need to be let out until he's better. I'm not going to leave without him." Heero explained softly.

"How did he get into the room?"

"Preventer's guards took him to it... thinking it was his room. The sight of Smith set Duo off."

"I would freak out if my torturer appeared out of nowhere." Heero growled.

"He isn't you, Heero. Stop trying to explain everything away. help starts with us, and we can't start if we all keep denying that he's pretty much gone."

"I should go and get everything set up."

* * *

A/n: So, I had to set everything up. It was really hard to explain what was going on without giving EVERYTHING away... It will be explained in the next chapter, but for now, that's it.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The four boys were fidgety, that was apparent to anyone that looked in on them. They couldn't stand not knowing like this but they had no choice as the seconds crawled along like molasses up hill in the middle of winter.

Trowa was leaning against the wall where a window overlooked the city down below, one leg moving up and down on the ball of his foot, other than that little annoyance, he seemed rather calm. Wufei was sitting in a chair himself, his face in one hand, his elbow on one knee as the other did the same thing as Trowa's it's annoying bob up and down. Quatra was attempting to sit still, but unfortunately he was moving his position ever two minutes, all the while rubbing the skin on the back of his neck raw. Heero was pacing back and forth in the room, his hair sticking up and mused more than normal as he kept running his hands through his hair in worry.

Duo had been in surgery for two days now. Only coming out when they needed to let him have some time without being cut open. The damage was extensive, their last report didn't bode well on any of their nerves. His whole body was messed up, like there was something poured into him. His blood pressure was double what it should have been, even with a weakened heart, that no one could explain. His blood was thick in his veins, like sludge. Sally had never seen anything like that before and it was rather disturbing but they were able to thin out his blood to where it was suppose to be and continue with the surgeries.

They completely replaced his heart, and all the withered valves around it. They had to go further down and surgically repair a broken rib that had healed with splinters sticking out, almost breaking through his skin, it was defidently cutting into his lungs. Even further down, they intermittently filled his stomach with the healthy nutrients that he needed until they were able to get him back onto the vitamin IV again.

The damage was extensive, and he coded four times while on the table. Once, his brain stopped reading that he was still under, and just completely flat lined. They believed him to be brain dead for a few seconds before they realized that it was just the sensor that had fallen from his head, that was the biggest scare Sally had. After replacing his heart, it wouldn't start right up. They had to use the paddles three times before they received sinus rhythm, and after a few seconds of that, he flat lined again. They were able to get his new heart to work right while they set to work on the rest of him.

Now, the four were waiting on the news of the surgery that would be to remove the fluid that was causing the swelling in his brain. It was a very slow and careful surgery. Sally said that they had to be careful that they remove the fluid that was extensive, and not the fluid that was necessary for sustaining the brain. It was very slow and careful work, it was also as dangerous as replacing the boy's heart. After this, he would be allowed some time to recover, then he would have surgery again, but this one was less dangerous. It was to remove the built up cartilage, and reset the shattered bones in his broken hands and knees. It would hopefully give him mobility back into his hand and maybe, after some therapy, he would be able to walk without any pain.

After Heero's seventy-fifth lap around the waiting room, Sally walked in. Sighing tiredly before she was jolted to reality by four boys suddenly before her, anxiously waiting for her to tell them what happened.

"He survived the surgeries." she said, listening to the collective sigh of relief from the four before she continued, "He's still under and is in recovery. If his body starts to reject his heart, there is nothing more we can do. This last heart was a miracle in itself."

"How soon will you know when he starts to reject the heart?" Heero asked.

"Hopefully, he wont, but it could take up to three months to show signs of the rejection, then again, it could be tomorrow. We don't know."

"What about his brain? Is he still alive?" he asked softly.

"He seems fine, we wont know for sure until he wakes up. We were right, his fluid was infected, and he's been put on a round of antibiotics. He will survive it if he can, but we can't tell for sure until he wakes up. He's developed a fever, which is common for an infection. It will go down with his anti-inflammatory medications to prevent his body from rejecting his new heart. More than likely, if it comes to it, which it might, he'll be on these pills until he dies."

"He's really bad, isn't he?" Quatra asked softly, reaching up and pressing his hand to his heart.

"He'll be fine now. I have a nurse sitting with him, and they are all on eight hour shifts with him. He will never be alone, just in case."

"We're going to have him taken to a Mental Institution once he is well enough to travel." Trowa explained softly.

"Really? Has Duo any say in this matter?"

The other shook their heads, their gazes lowered.

"We didn't think he would be able to make a decision for himself if we present it to him." Trowa muttered, shaking his head, "He can hate us after he's better."

"Can we see him?" Heero asked.

Sally shook her head, "No. Not right now. He's in a clean room waiting for the next surgery."

"When can we see him?"

"After he's been deemed fit to leave Recovery." she said, before she sighed.

"I was hoping to see him before I left." Heero muttered softly, head down.

"Left?" Sally asked, her eyes confused.

Heero nodded, his hands going through his hair again, the ends sticking straight up after they had finally settled on his head from the last time, "I'm going back into Circles(1). My medications aren't doing that much for me anymore."

"Heero..." she said softly, looking at the young man as he glared at the floor.

"I want to be normal again. I want to be able to keep a level head for Duo when he comes home."

"Heero, he might never be able to come home."

Heero shook his head, crossing his arms defiantly, "No. He will come home. He's stronger than this."

The others were now looking at him, seeming to be worried that he was going to do something or needed to be restrained. Heero was shaking again but he soon squashed it down, he didn't want to make a scene, then he would never see Duo again.

"In any sense. I have to go. I haven't been packing, and I need to make sure all my medications are in order before I go." he said as he moved to leave, his gaze down as he moved.

"Heero." Sally called softly, "You can't go in, but I can take you where you can see Duo."

Heero looked at her, blinking in shock before his normal expression returned, "I can?"

She nodded before she motioned for him to follow her, the others moving to return to their chairs. Heero kept close to her as she lead him into the surgical ward, then down the lines of rooms to one of the clean rooms. She rapped her knuckles on the glass and the blinds were opened by a blond woman in green nursing scrubs who nodded and moved back to her chair where she was filling out a cross word puzzle in pen. Sally turned her head to the slightly taller young man that had his gaze glued to the form in the bed.

Duo was laying in the much larger bed. There were wires all over him, leading from his arm, frown his chest, his neck, and his forehead. He had a large, plastic like tube going from his mouth where it was tapped over it, to a machine that was slowly and evenly pumping oxygen into his lungs for him. His hair, which had been growing back, had been shaved again and now large stitches and staples were used to keep his once open head closed, the area sterilized with a brownish red like liquid. Duo's face was paler than normal, almost as pale as he was when the Preventers found him in that lonely concrete room. His chest was bare, the blanket just over his middle. There was another long line of stitches ran from the edge of his left arm pit, to the middle of his sternum, it too was surrounded by the brownish red liquid.

"That one on his chest is huge..." Heero murmured softly.

"We had to open him wide than anticipated. His heart wasn't where it was suppose to be. It was more to the left than normal hearts. It's not as bad as it looks." Sally informed him, keeping her gaze on him.

Heero didn't say anything at that, he just stared at the frail body in the large bed. Watching the breathing machine work for him, making it easier for him to breath, "He will be okay. Right?"

"We will do our best."

Heero nodded, watching Duo for a few more minutes before he lowered his gaze and stepped back from the window, "I need to get ready to leave. Thank you for letting me see him, Sally."

Nodding, she watched as he left on his own. She'd never seen Heero so tense and forelorne. He looked almost like the last of his will to fight had been ripped from him, as if he had finally given up on Duo. She knew that he hadn't, but the way he walked and seemed to defeated seemed to her like he had. She kept her gaze where Heero had gone, even long after he was gone before she started back to work. She needed to be sure that all of Duo's things were set in stone before his next surgery.

* * *

It took another two days for Duo to be well enough for the other surgeries on his hands and knees, but those went out without a hitch. He seemed like he would finally pull through. Another two months would pass, and Sally deemed him able to leave the hospital. She checked him over one more time before she returned to Trowa so he and Quatra could sign the ex-Deathscythe pilot out of the hospital for good.

Quatra read everything over with the precision of a trained politician, then signed his name and handed it to Trowa. Trowa, who knew that if Quatra deemed it well enough, then he wouldn't find a single blemish in the paper work, signed himself. He made sure everything was in order before he turned and walked to the window, his green eyes gazed out the glassy barrier into the world below. Once Sally had all that she needed, she left the room to file it away and Trowa moved to the room that held Duo in it. He spent a good amount of time looking down at the sleeping form in the bed.

Duo had very bad dreams during his recovery, and was given a prescription for sleeping pills, sometimes even sedated to sleep when they got too bad. Right now, he was sedated after he had a bad episode. He silently wondered what they were going to do once they got him to the institution. He wondered if they would be able to handle him the way he needed to be, but then again, they were able to handle Heero without causing any problems. Shaking his head, he stepped past the bed, looking to the wall as he steeled his resolve. This was what was best for Duo. This would be exactly what he needed, no matter what.

Trowa sighed softly, running his fingers through his bangs, shifting before he looked over his shoulder. Quatra was standing in the door way, a small smile on his face, as if trying to reassure him that this was the right thing to do, but even if his face seemed sure, his eyes showed as much uncertainty as Trowa felt. The taller male straightened to his full height, turning and moving to the bed. Sally stepped forward from behind Quatra, moving up to the figure on the bed and began to remove the wiring. She pulled the IV from his arm gently, easing it out before she let it fall to the floor and be useless. She slowly removed the breathing tube in his nose and set it aside as she removed some of the monitors.

Trowa couldn't help the small sigh that came from him as Sally worked. So fragile, and yet would always hold a strength that none of them could ever understand. He really couldn't fathom who would want to do this to him. Why they wouldn't release him after some time, or at least put him out of his misery. He would never know, probably. His body jerked in alarm when the regular silence of the room was marred only the sound of the steady beeping then a residual flat-line that filled the room before Sally reached over and turned off the monitor, letting the room fall silent again.

"All done." she muttered softly, turning and handing a clipboard to Quatre, who signed dutifully before returning it to the person.

Quatre nodded to the half hidden face of the taller European man. Trowa nodded before he reached down and picked up the form from the bed, making sure his body was still covered by the sheet of the bed and began to carry him out of the room for the last time.

* * *

SIX MONTHS LATER

Heero sat up, glancing around before he glared hard as the door to his room hissed then slid open. There was a knock before a man dressed completely in white stepped into view and smiled at him, his face rather worn, scarred but looked caring in on him.

"Morning, Heero. The Doc's waiting to see you, as always. Better hurry if you want breakfast." he said before he moved on for the next room.

Heero grunted as he swung his feet over the side of the bed and climbed to them. He stripped of the white gown and set it on a hanger before placing it on the back of the door, straightening it out a little bit before he moved to his bed and made it. He tucked the sheets under the mattress and fixed the pillow before setting it neatly against the wall so that it staid where it was supposed to be. He turned to his dresser, pulling the drawers open and pulling out a shirt and pair of pants, quickly pulling them onto his person, straightening the ends out carefully.

Upon a quick inspection of the room and finding everything in place, he slipped out. Shoes weren't allowed, much to his own dismay, so they provided these little slipper things that kept his feet from touching the ground. Seven floors, almost two hundred stairs later, he moved into the office of the doctor.

"Ah, Heero, please come in." the man said, motioning for him to sit down.

Heero didn't move immediately, seeing there was a younger male sitting slightly behind him, a clipboard in his hand. He was completely different from the aged man he usually talked to that was sitting slightly ahead of him. He didn't like this.

"Relax, Heero. This is Duncan. He's here to observe some one of your history. You do remember you are our most extreme case, correct?"

"... Hai. He's here to listen?" Heero asked, moving forward and taking his usual seat, settling in it.

"And ask a few questions. That's all. Please be patient with him, Heero."

"Hn." Heero grunted, watching the new guy, who smiled at him.

"Hello, Heero. I was just hoping you could answer a few questions." he said, as if he was the new doctor.

Heero didn't respond. He merely stared at the other, waiting for him to move on. Duncan shifted nervously in his chair then glanced at his clipboard, as if making sure one of his notes were correct then looking up at Heero again.

"I suppose you would be the best person to ask, but how does it feel?"

"... Annoying." Heero grunted.

Duncan blinked, "A-annoying? I've never heard it described like that before." he said.

"Now you have. Are we going to talk all day? I haven't had breakfast yet and the exercise courts open in an hour, assuming Trevor hasn't already caused a riot in the lunch room."

The elder doc chuckled at Heero before he leaned forward, "He might be taking my place after I retire, Heero, so please try and keep him in check."

"Hn... Why are you retiring?"

"I'm old. Sometimes people choose to retire. I know you never got the choice, but you will one day when you're as old and decrepit as I am."

"You aren't old. Sixty-eight is not old."

The man chuckled at him, resting his elbows on the chair, "And what would be the appropriate age to be called 'old', Heero?"

"When they bury you." Heero grunted softly, "People don't just get old. Getting older is just something they think themselves into, like self-induced mental disorders. You're only old when your body finally shuts down and they bury you under ground. Until then, you just think you're old."

"I see."

"Does he know of my records?"

"I didn't tell him. I figured he could try and diagnose you for himself."

"Then how is he going to learn how to deal with me if he has to do all of this alone?"

"The same way I did, Heero; trial and error. So, Duncan, what do you think is wrong with our prized patient?"

"He's... kind of sarcastic..." Duncan muttered.

"Obsessive Compulsive Disorder." Heero grunted, making Duncan blink, "Added to slight paranoid schizophrenia, Split-Personality disorder, but all us pilots have that, and a mild past of self-destructive and murderous habits."

"And a habbit of completely ruining someone's fun." the elder doctor muttered as he sat up completely straight, "Heero is one of the five Gundam pilots from the old Eve wars, all of them have something else wrong with them, but they've almost all been able to keep them in check. All five of them suffer from Split-Personality Disorder caused by constant or the sudden shock given to them when they first encountered Doctor J's Zero System program. Heero, here, has been trained over the course of ten years to have everything he'd done be perfect, or else. So it's given him OCD, and a small, paranoid delusion that he's never doing something completely right and that everyone else is out to sabotage his 'mission' by not being of any assistance. This training has also lead to his self-destructive behavior when he actually does fail, and if self-destructing doesn't work, he sets out to destroy what caused his mission to fail in the first place. This is the main reason he was only partnered with few of the other pilots during the wars."

"So... he could snap my neck for just dropping this pencil?" Duncan asked.

"No... but I can snap your neck for keeping me from completing my routine. If I don't finish with this shit by the end of the day, I don't get another tally, and I can't go to the fifth floor and take him outside again." Heero grunted, glaring at Duncan, making him swallow hard.

"W-what's on the fifth floor?"

"The fifth floor is what we call the 'Comatose' floor. It's where we send patients that aren't responsive to anything other than their own stimulus. It's also where we've temporarily have Duo Maxwell, another Gundam Pilot."

"There's two of them here?" Duncan asked, looking amazed.

"Yes, and he's another of my patients. Did you read Duo's chart yesterday, Heero?"

"He ate a carrot. By himself. The nurses are allowing him to have a crayon today."

"Did he say anything?"

"No, but he was excited about it. He wanted the crayon right when she said it, but she said he'd have to wait. Then Solo returned for the rest of the day." Heero explained, his voice dropping into a growl at the mention of 'Solo'.

"What's so important about Solo?" Duncan asked.

"Mr. Maxwell had gone through some things almost a year ago that's caused him to..." the doctor waved his hand, having trouble finding the right words to describe Solo to Duncan.

"Duo isn't himself all the time. He reverts back and forth between himself and a self that he hasn't been since he was a kid. Solo was the name of a friend of his that died when Duo was very small." Heero explained before he stood up, frowning, "I'm sure you can brief him with out me."

The doctor looked at Heero before he sighed, "I am not going to repeat myself, Heero."

"Duo is not, will not and never will be a hindrance to my recovery, he's the reason I want to get better." Heero muttered before he turned and left the room.

"He's... very intimidating." the young doctor muttered softly.

"Yes, but he's harmless for the most part. be careful with him." the old doctor said, his voice soft and old sounding as he climbed t his feet, "Heero's greatest problem is not his OCD, or his paranoia, or anything else psychological. It's Duo, and it will always be Duo."

* * *

Heero climbed down a few stairs, moving his way through the halls as people shuffled painfully slow pass him to their own destinations. Heero walked until he found a door that was electronically locked and waited. A loud buzzing noise over his head sounded, the tumblers on the locks tripping and the door sliding open for him, allowing him entrance. Inside, there was atleast twenty people dressed in a white gown, white slippers. Some where sitting around, mumbling to themselves, others were pulling at their hair.

Heero barely acknowledged them as he made his way through the room to the 'art' center of the room where Duo was sitting on the floor, happily drawing with a bright blue crayon on a piece of paper, a security gaurd keeping an eye on him as he colored. Heero stood where he was, waiting until Duo lifted his head and spotted him. Duo looked more like he used to now. Although he was still extraordinarily thin, his body wasn't the horrid skeletal body it once was. Eyes no longer sunken in and dead looking. His hair, once shaved down to nothing but peach fuzz was now round on his head, starting to grow out, the ends curled at the base of his scalp, bangs already forming like they used to in the war.

With his hair shaved, Heero noticed the burn marks that dotted Duo's scalp along the front of his hairline, where his bangs had grown, which would explain why it looked like Duo has seven patches of bangs instead of one or two big bangs. Sally had deduced that they were from something in his past since the wounds were old and long since scarred over.

"Hee-chan!" he chirped like he had years ago, but Heero knew it wasn't because Duo recognized him, "You're early! Solo hasn't even visited yet! Hey, paper man, can Hee-chan have one, too?"

The gaurd looked at Heero, as if asking him if he wanted the paper that badly and Heero shook his head at him, "No, it's okay, Duo. I was hoping I could just watch you."

"Sure!" Duo said happily as he dove back into his coloring, "The nurse lady said that if I'm good today, I can have another color tomorrow. You think I should do green tomorrow? It's starting to look too blue, but it reminded me of your eyes so I chose this color. Hey, do you think Heero actually ever thinks about me? Maybe he's finally shacked up with Relena, they were always making eyes at each other. It was cute to an extent. I hope Tro and Q got together, they were always dancing around each other during the war, maybe they can even help Wufei loosen up, since I know poor Heero wont be able to do it. He can barely keep himself together, the poor guy. Buuuut, that's what Relena's for, ne?"

"Duo, I've told you already. They are together, and I'm not dating Relena." Heero muttered softly, gently.

"You did? Oh. I must've forgotten. I tend to do that after Solo visits. Hey, can we go outside again today? I remember doing that!"

Heero shook his head, "You have to earn more points."

"Oh, yeah... that was my surprise. That's dumb that I have to spend my own points on my own surprise, Hee-chan."

"I know, but I had to spend my own points, too."

"Yeah... But you had enough points for the both of us... hey, the nurse lady said that if I'm good today, I can have another color tomorrow. You think I should do green?"

"Try red." Heero muttered softly, frowning.

"Red? Why red?" Duo asked, frowning as he looked at the picture.

"Red, White and Blue. Those are the colors of your heritage."

"Oh... Oh yeah! L2 is an American colony... Your flag doesn't have blue on it on L1."

"No, it's just red and white."

"Aw... I'll color you something red tomorrow, Heero... The nurse lady said I could have another color tomorrow if I'm good."

"... I know, Duo..." Heero muttered softly.

Duo had started doing that after an overdose of sedatives his first month in the place. He'd had a mild seizure and was constantly repeating himself. Heero occasionally wondered how much further Duo's mind was now. Heero watched his hands as Duo colored before the scribbling stopped. He could feel the presence of eyes on him and lifted his head to see Duo looking at him in confusion and fear.

"W-who are you?" he asked softly, his voice timid and scared.

"My name's Heero." he offered, not even hesitating.

"Heero? I don't know anyone named Heero. Does Solo know you're here? He doesn't does he? Where did you come from?" he asked, leaping up, now visibly shaking.

"Yes, Solo knows I'm here. He sent me here. He told me to keep an eye on you while he and the other boys went on the hunt. he said you were too small to go." Heero explained softly.

Duo pouted cutely at him before flopping down onto the ground in a small temper tantrum, "I am not too small! Solo's just being an overly protective jerk... How did he find you, Hee-chan?"

Heero didn't answer, knowing that if he answered Duo wouldn't snap out of it. Duo stared at him for a while before he pouted again and started to color. Heero waited for a few more minutes before he looked down.

"Duo, do you remember your full name?" he asked.

"Duo. Just Duo." he muttered softly.

"No... It's Duo. Duo Maxwell."

Duo looked at him in confusion before realization dawned on him, "Oh... It is. Where's Relena, Hee-chan?"

Heero sighed softly before he looked down sadly. He knew what was going to happen next, and he wished that for one day, Duo would stay the Duo he knew. He heard the crayon stop again, a soft scrambling noise and looked up. Duo was huddled against the wall, muttering to himself. Solo had arrived and Duo was now totally engrossed with the conversation he was having with him. Heero staid with him for another hour before Duo returned to his coloring like nothing had ever happened. The blue eyed male watched him for what seemed like eternity, his mussels cramping, demanding movement.

Heero shifted, getting more comfortable and staid in that position until it was time for him to leave for the day.

* * *

"How was he yesterday?" the therapist asked him, his head tilted as he watched Heero.

"He reverted again. He didn't recognize me at all..." Heero muttered lowly, looking down at the floor.

"I know. The nurse told me that he had another seizure. Heero, maybe it's time you consider the option that there is nothing you can do for him." the doctor said, watching Heero's reaction closely.

Heero didn't visibly have a reaction to that. To anyone, it would seem like he was considering the advice, but the old doctor knew better. He'd been treating Heero for years, as an out patient as well as a in patient. Heero was trying not to react violently to the suggestion, he could see the vein in Heero's neck flex and shift as his mussels tensed in anger and frustration. His eyes took on a more cold level as he gazed at the floor, and his fingers would its atop of his knee.

"I can't give up on him. He'd never given up on me. I owe him that much."

"You love him that much." the old man correct him, making Heero raise his head.

"... No... Loving him would have been putting him out of his misery a long time ago. One thing Duo hates more than people being robotic or non-human, is being viewed as weak... He wouldn't have accepted it... he would've done everything he could to make sure that no one saw him like that. That's why he made that Joker's mask of his, so he could get us pilots to loosen up and act... mo-..."

The doctor looked up from the notes he'd been taking, blinking at the look of inspiration on Heero's face. He looked more like he'd seen a ghost, or had just been kicked in the balls. His blue eyes went wide, his mouth hung slightly open and he tensed in his chair.

"He's weak... He thinks I don't exist because he doesn't see me as weak, he sees me as strength, of Earth's protector. He, like everyone else, believes that I am above the basic of human complications of the mind and body... He thinks because he's defective now, that everything around him is as equaly defective. Solo was his idol, his first brother like connection, Solo wasn't weak, so Solo wouldn't be in this mess..."

The old doctor blinked as Heero stood up quickly, knocking his chair over in the process.

"He's not crazy." Heero concluded, "It's another fucking mask!"

"Heero!"

Blue eyes blinked, looking down at the doctor from where he was sitting, a determined look on the old man's face, "Even if that is true... He's had years in that cell to perfect that mask of loosing his mind, if it truely was, wouldn't he have snapped out of it after you all got him out of there?"

The japanese male blinked before he looked down, "I don't know..."

"You remember what Trowa told you?"

"... 'don't make excuses for him... Healing starts with us...'" Heero recited perfectly, sighing softly, "If he hasn't started recovering yet, will he ever?"

"I don't know. You've had a long time with your disorders, and you're healing. Slowly but surely."

"We don't have that long, though! This is a six, going on seven year process with me! What if something happens? We need Duo... I need him..."

"Heero, we can't concern ourselves with what-mights and what-ifs. All we can do is work on what we have right now."

"... JFT*..." Heero muttered slowly.

"That's right. Just For Today." the doctor muttered lowly, scribbling something down.

"What if today isn't good enough?"

"That's your OCD speaking. You know that every day is good enough. If it wasn't good enough for you, you wouldn't have woken up this morning."

"But it's always the same! It's like... the motto for today... S.S.D.D.** ..." Heero muttered softly.

"Even so, Heero, one day it wont be the same and everything will be okay again, and that day will come. You have to trust yourself to wait that much longer."

"When?"

"I can't tell you that. When the day comes that you know that everything's okay, when that angel descends apon you and tells you that everything will be okay... that's the only time you will truly know when you will be at peace."

"... And if my angel is broken?"

"... Then wait that much longer, for even divine entities bruise, but time will heal his wings one day."

"Can't I just build him new wings?"

"Healing starts with us, Heero."

"Right... Wait for him..." Heero muttered softly.

"Correct."

Heero nodded before he turned and left the room, moving to the stair case. He made two flights of stairs before his fist struck the wall with a residual thud, he bit his lip before he continued down the halls. If Duo couldn't be saved by Heero, he would have to wait, and if he had to wait, the world would have to wait. Everyone knew that the world waits for no one. She keeps spinning and spinning, uncaring of the suffering within her womb. Uncaring that two of her children, two of her protectors are suffering without her.

"I don't wanna change the world  
I just want to leave it colder  
Light the fuse and burn it all  
take the path that lead to now here

All is lost again  
But I'm not giving in

I will not bow  
I will not break  
I will shut the world away

I will not fall  
I will not fade  
I will take your breath away"

Heero froze, he knew that voice. How many times had he told it to shut up, to leave him alone. He didn't even realize he was running until he was before the doors to Duo's ward, the door buzzing to let him in and he darted in, freezing at the sight before him. Duo was standing at the window, a place Heero had never seen him at before, singing loudly, a smile on his face, but his voice was haunting and sad sounding, and the song was one that Heero recognized Duo singing when ever he was facing a turmoil that he didn't want to talk about.

"Watch the end through dying eyes  
now the Dark is taking over  
show me where forever dies  
take the fall and run to heaven

All is lost again  
But I'm not giving in  
I will not bow  
I will not break  
I will shut the world away

I will not fall  
I will not fade  
I will take your breath away

And I'll survive  
Paranoid  
I have lost the will change

And I am not proud  
Cold blooded fake  
I will shut the world away"

Heero watched as Duo swayed softly as he thought of the musical solo before he was singing once more.

"I will not bow  
I will no break  
I will shut the world away

I will not fall  
I will not fade  
I will take you breath away..."

Heero frowned as Duo moved to a chair, sinking into it before he lifted his head to the radio speaker above his head that was starting a song that he wasn't singing before, but one that the Japanese male knew of.

"Why do they sing of me? All of them?" Duo asked softly, as if asking the speaker, "That's the point of music, kid. For you to relate to it."

"Hell darkness my old friend  
I've come to talk with you again  
because a vision softly creeping  
Left its seeds while I was sleeping  
and the vision that was planted in my brain  
Still remains  
Withing the sounds of silence..."

"I'm... not in the room anymore..." Duo muttered softly.

Heero felt his heart leap into his throat as Duo studied the speaker as the song continued on without him. He wasn't even paying attention to the words anymore. He swallowed the feeling of bile in his throat, clearing it and speaking, "No, Duo. You aren't."

Duo turned his gaze to Heero, surprised to see him, before that childish smile spread across his face again, "Hee-chan!" he chirped and everything was thrown back into place.

Heero felt his shoulders relax, and slouch, his heart drop back into place hard, "S.S.D.D..." he muttered softly as he moved forward and sat beside Duo once more.

* * *

Okay... Hopefully that cleared up some things for everyone. XD Yes, Duo is crazy.

JFT- Just For Today  
I heard this somewhere before, i can't remember where but that's what it means. XD

S.S.D.D- Same Shit, Different Day  
This is from Stephen King's book/movie Dreamcatcher. Great book, great movie, and I never say that often.

The first song was by Breaking Benjamin I will Not Bow  
The second song was Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel.

I recommend listening to both of them.

(1)- Circles of Care is a ward close to where I live. Been there a couple times, it's pretty cool.

Anyways. The next chapter will be of the other three boys and how they are taking all of this. Since they are feeling to negelcted. *pets the boys* Until next update.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey, everyone...

Updated! I'm working on getting a beta, guys. I am really sowwy!

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Chapter 9**

In one of Quatra's many mansions, the heir was curled in bed, with his head buried under the pillow on his side of the bed, and covers drawn tight around himself. Beside him, lounging under his own, separate set of blankets was Trowa, he'd long since gotten accustom to Quatra's cover hogging nights by supplying his own under the bed.

The quiet of the morning was broken by the phone ringing loudly on the table a few feet from the bed. Trowa frowned before he turned, pushing his arm over his face, fully intent on ignoring the annoyance when he felt a small hand shoving at him.

"Answer the phone."

"You answer it." Trowa grunted as he shoved Quatra's shoving hand away.

"No. You get it."

"What's wrong with you getting it?" Trowa asked, peeking out from under his arm.

"I don't want to get up... and I say you go get it, so go get the phone."

Trowa groaned to himself, staring up at the ceiling as the phone continued to ring where it was. One last shove from the blond Winner, Trowa shoved his arm away and sat up. Swinging his long legs over the side of the bed, he grabbed his discarded pants and slipped them on. He made his way to the phone, sitting down with a almost flop in front of the cradle and picked it up.

"Barton..." He grunted sleepily into the phone.

"Ah... Mr. Barton, did I wake you? This is Dr. Walter." the voice on the other side of the line answered back at him.

"Sort of... You have any idea what time it is?"

"I do, do you?" the voice asked, a tone of humor in his voice.

"It's five in the morning." Trowa grunted, rather annoyed by the question.

"Trowa, it is actually eight in the morning. Was there a storm last night? You are three hours behind."

Trowa frowned into the phone for a few seconds before he looked down at the watch on his wrist, sighing in frustration, he rubbed the back of his neck, "Shit. Yes, there was a lightening storm over here last night. It must have tripped the power while we were asleep. Do you still have time to fit us in?"

"Yes, I do, actually. If you come in within the next two hours."

Trowa grunted before he looked at his watch, "Right. See you then."

He hung up and moved back to the bed, sitting on the edge, contemplating how to wake the smaller male without pissing him off more than he was already going to be.

"Quatra. Little one." he called, reaching out and tugging at the covers.

"Hm... Whatever it is can wait, Trowa." Quatra groaned into the pillows, pressing them against his head.

"Hm... It's eight in the morning."

There was silence for a few seconds. Trowa stood up and backed off the bed to be at a safe distance once it sank into the blond's head that they had not only slept in, but missed a therapy appointment.

"WHAT?" The small blond squawked as he sat up like a shot or a startled animal and bolted out of bed.

"That was Walter on the phone. He's giving us two hours to get there. He's made room for us."

"Dammit. You know I hate being late." Quatra said, now thoroughly panicked as he bolted for the drawers to get some clothes.

"I know... I'll go downstairs and shower; you use the one in here."

Nodding, the blond bolted past him into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. A soft sigh escaped the taller male's lips as he looked at the door, the faucet squeaking on then the shower head began to run it's spray on the other side of the door.

"Good morning to you, too, little one." he grunted rather sourly as he collected the things he would need to shower downstairs.

Half an hour later found the two men finishing getting dressed at the edge of their bed, their backs to each other as they worked. Trowa was leaning against the edge, straightening the sleeves of his long sleeve shirt before he sat down and began to put on his socks and shoes.

"Wufei's canceled all of his sessions again." Quatra muttered as he began to put his own shoes on as well.

"I know. He told me that he was going to." Trowa said softly as he tied one shoe tight, frowning a little at the uneven loops before he tucked them into his shoes and left them be, despite the nagging voice pleading with him to re-lace his shoes so that they were even.

"You think that is a good idea?"

"He's paranoid, not delusional. He's fine."

"You've seen him in the halls!"

"He's paranoid." Trowa repeated, "He had a rather hard break up with someone who became his boss' girlfriend... It's not an irrational thought process... even if she was the one that broke up with him."

"It is if he goes out of his way to make sure that he is never alone with anyone else besides us four, well, two now. That's not the point. He's getting worse with these thoughts that he is going to be either attacked or fired because he isn't dating Sally anymore."

"Everyone does it after a bad separation, little one. Even more so when the person he had a bad break up with is now dating someone that is higher up than he is. He's a grown man with a signature on his psyche evaluation. Let him be."

"Speaking of evaluations. I think that we should pull Duo from the Institute?"

"No." Trowa grunted, not even hesitating to think about it or anything.

"Why not? It's been over a year! He's not getting any better. He's getting worse, if anything."

"We've been over this, little one-"

"We're people he's comfortable with and-"

"We were people he was comfortable with, Quatra." Trowa said, standing up, putting a lot of emphasis on the 'were' and 'was', "You and Heero are dwelling too much on how Duo used to be. He's not the same anymore. We can't be sure that he will be able to trust us anymore."

"I don't believe that!" the smaller said, his tone suddenly low and dangerous.

"Quatra, don't use that tone with me. I'm telling you what I know and what the facts tell me. I know that he needs to be where he is because they are going to be the ones that help him. The facts tell me that he's getting better there an-"

"They fucking overdosed his medication! They caused him to have seizures every day because they caused brain damage that-"

"Brain damage that could have been from the /Brain Surgery/ he had less than a year ago!"

"Sally said that the surgery wouldn't do anything to his brain! They were draining fluid to relieve pressure!"

"At the top of his head and the base of his spine! The brain is something that neither of us can understand, Quatra, and it can't inter-"

"Don't talk to me like I'm a fucking idiot! I know the complexities that come with working with brains, and I also know that the expert tested him, and told us that nothing was wrong with him because of the surgery!" the small, blond heir was now screaming at the European male, his face flushing red with anger, the tugging at the back of his subconscious begging to be free.

"He's not coming back, Quatra! The Duo we knew is gone, and isn't coming back!"

"I don't believe that!"

"Start believing it, because it's the truth! Nothing we say or do is going to bring him back so you might as well fucking forget about any plans you had for him or else you're going to end up like Heero! Stuck in the fucking Psyche Ward because you can't fucking let him go!"

"Che." Quatra grunted angrily, snatching his coat from the hanger in the closet, the plastic thing snapping from its hook.

He ripped the coat from the rest of the hanger, then flung it across the room. Trowa stepped out of the way, in case it was aimed at him, but it wasn't. He watched, silently quelling the growing anger within himself as Quatra forced his arms into the sleeves of the coat and stormed out of the room, little feet thundering down the stairs and the front door banging of its hinges and the wall.

Taking a deep breath, he shakily got his own jacket and slung it over his arm, marching himself down the stairs and outside where Quatra had flung himself into the passenger seat of the silver cat in front of the mansion. Rashid must have told someone to bring the car around in the morning. Another deep breath drawn, he walked to the driver side and climbed in, draping the jacket across his lap and starting the car.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I can see the news of being late did not settle well."

"That's not the topic of the day today." Trowa muttered softly, his voice emotionless as his face in these things. It always was.

"Oh, what seemed to be the problem today then?" Walter asked, shifting in his seat to sit up straighter, mostly to keep an eye on Trowa's subtle reactions, and look for any other signs of what could be the problem.

Trowa sighed before he leaned back into the uncomfortable plush chair, arms folded over his chest and legs crossed at the ankles like they always were when he was uncomfortable, or being more emotional than he normally was. Having his body closer to itself was always a comfort when he wasn't feeling like himself. Like someone was hugging him but he was able to keep his wish of not having anyone, besides Quatra, touch him.

"Quatra is under the same delusion that the others are. He believes that if we bring him home, Duo will snap back into being himself again then everything will be bright, happy, and joyful. He seems to think that if we just bring Duo home, to our place, that he will just suddenly be Duo again."

"How is that a delusion? It could be possible." Walter said, leaning back a bit, rubbing at his bare chin then jotting down notes.

"Yeah, it's a possibility that the person tortured until their mind snapped to be suddenly healed just by walking across the Winner threshold. I don't buy it."

"The human mind is a very complex machine. For all we know, they could be right. Duo could just need the presence of the people he knows and trusts around him."

"I don't think so. Not with how far gone Duo was when we found him. I don't think he trusts us anymore. I really don't. Truthfully, I wouldn't trust the others if I was in a similar situation." he murmured, his voice low.

"And this started the disagreement between you and Quatra?"

"He's stubborn."

"It could be said that you are, too, Trowa."

"I am realistic. I know what the world is capable of and what could happen to people who are not prepared for it."

"That doesn't sound too realistic to me. It could be said that, yes, the others are dwelling an awful lot on how Duo used to be before all of this happened, but it could also be said that you are dwelling on how humans used to be during the war. All the fragile people being broken, and all of the evil that was going on. It sounds more like you have given Duo up for a lost cause to me." Walter muttered as he wrote down a few more things.

"Given Duo up? What do you mean?"

"The others with their 'delusions' seem to be putting more hope into getting their friend back than you do. They are hopeful that he will be back to normal again while you are fully prepared to leave him as he is. Where he is. They are willing to try alternate routes to try and help the best that they can, while you are content with staying on the straight path and falling back on letting the people in this institute take care of your friend for you."

"No, I want him back, too… It's just… I wasn't… particularly fond… of the old Duo…"

"He made you uncomfortable in his presence?"

"He was always so happy! During the war. No matter what happened or how many people we killed, he always had the brightest smile on his face than anyone else. Sometimes he would be the only one smiling. I still don't understand how he could be like that… Being surrounded by that much death in the battlefield, and to have lived through the tragedies in his life, but still be able to smile. He was still able to laugh. To joke around with Quatra, to pull pranks on Wufei, to annoy Heero into goading a reaction out of him when the other wanted to be left alone. He was always so full of life with all the death around us."

"I see. He didn't make you uncomfortable. He made you want."

"Want? I never wanted him, though."

"No, not sexually, but you wanted to be like him. Even now, you are trying hard to hide as well as show emotions. You wanted to be able to express yourself like he was able to. You want to be able to crack that joke that brings a smile to Quatra's face. You want to be able to laugh freely when Wufei spills coffee all over himself, burning himself while sputtering all sorts of curses and threats to the liquid. You wanted to be him."

"So the uncomfortable feeling was really jealousy? I was jealous of how easy Duo could be human?"

"Could have been, could not have been. The only one that knows the answer to that would be you. Now then, back to business. How are you feeling today?"

"Confused…"

"Ah… Well, the previous conversation could be the cause of that. Anything else on your mind? Any nagging feelings, or desires that you can't seem to pin down?"

"No. I… I just want to… think a bit more. About what we just talked about."

"You want to end it here today?"

Trowa nodded as he stood up, not even waiting to be dismissed. His body realigning with soft cracks then slightly loud pops after sitting for so long and he started out of the room rather quickly. Long legs not pausing for a second as he had the door open and out of it without stopping his strides.

"Send Quatra after you!" Walter called after him.

Trowa sat down in the waiting room, watching as Quatra disappeared into the room for his own session. As soon as the blond was out of hearing range, he grabbed his phone and quick dialed a number. Pressing the phone to his ear, he listened to the rather harsh ringing of the other line.

'Was I jealous of him? Is that the reason why I couldn't stand the old Duo so much? Did I want to be him?' Trowa thought to himself as he waited, his thoughts kept together with the ringing.

"Change." Came the court response after four rings.

"Wufei, it's Trowa. I think that we should have lunch."

"What? Why? What's going on? Is-?"

"I haven't heard anything from or on Heero and Duo. No, it's for the three of us. We'll be one short, but it'll be like it used to be." Trowa said, wincing at his words.

Even when he was trying to sound sincere, or even humble, he sounded like he was insulting the longer haired male. Was that the jealousy again? Was that the reason that he did all of this? What would that mean for Duo? Was it right to send him to live in this facility in the first place? Was he letting his jealousy cloud the fact that maybe, just maybe, Duo needed all of them around him to feel like his old self again? Would he come back if he just 'went home'?

He thought he was doing what he could to help Duo. He thought he was doing what he had to so that the others wouldn't have to shoulder such a burden. Now, he didn't think he was. Now, he was wondering if he was so quick to commit Duo because he just wanted him gone. Was he so 'helpful' towards the others because they needed him to be strong, or was it because he didn't want what he thought to be his family, his brothers, to become distant and leave him. Was he being selfish and tossing Duo aside because he thought the other would cause the bond he made with the others to grow thin and break? Could he be that blind to the pain of someone he used to think was his friend, to the wanting that the people he call his family ached for just because it didn't suit the little picture he made for himself?

"What's going on, Barton?" Wufei interjected into his thoughts.

"Tell me honestly, Wufei… What's the real reason that you stopped your therapy sessions?"

"I got uncomfortable with the guy. He brought up a subject I didn't want to talk about and insisted that we talk about it. I didn't want to do it, so I quit the sessions…"

"Couldn't you have just been persistent with your request to not talk about the past?"

"I didn't want to talk about it at all, Barton. I still don't."

"I see. I'm sorry that I brought it up again, then."

"It's fine, I just don't want to talk about it. He was being very pushy about that subject. Speaking of this touchy subject, why would you ask me of such a thing? You never asked about my sessions before. What did he bring up about you?"

"I'm sorry I'm being nosy and I'll tell you at lunch what he told me. I don't want to talk about it over the phone. I want to talk to you about it, because Quatra's not too happy with me right now, and if I bring something like this up to him, it will solidify his anger towards me. I don't want that."

"I see. Things are getting bad between the two of you?"

"No! We just had an argument this morning, that is all!" Trowa heard himself growl into the phone.

"Fine, fine. Ok! I get it. Where do you want to meet?"

"The last one we attended together. When it was the four of us." he winced, there was that tone of his voice again.

"Right. One o'clock?"

"Make it one thirty. It's pushing twelve now and Quatra just went inside with Walter. I don't want him more panicked about being late for something than he was a few hours ago."

"Right. I'll see you two at lunch. Chang out."

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The place for lunch was a small All You Can Eat Joint that they all went to often because it was a melting pot of different cultural food and beverages. It was a place that you could go for sushi and hamburgers all from the same place. They mostly went here because Heero had found it and fell in love with the sushi spread that they laid out in the Sushi Bar. Being raised on Ration Bars and warm water, Heero found he had a small weakness for the confections filled with multiple items. His favorites were the 'Tuna Wraps', little bits of sushi rolls that were filled with raw Tuna, strips of celery, a little wedge of creme cheese and avocado all wrapped in a black strip of seaweed, then encased in rice. They got a table in the very back of the place, a place that was quiet and alone, perfect for a couple of men that were too paranoid to eat within the rest of the public. The waitress took their drink orders before they even sat down before she went off to get. Quatra made a move as if to take his chair when Trowa touched his shoulder gently.

"Little one, why don't you go get yourself your plate first? I want to talk to Wufei alone for a few minutes."

The small blond frowned at him, looking confused as to why he would want to talk to Wufei alone before he nodded a little and returned to outside of the room like area they were seated at, taking a plate and starting down the line of food. Trowa took a seat against the wall so he could see if the small blond was coming back over Wufei's shoulder as the Chinese man took a seat across from him, tan features schooled into a confused frown.

"What's going on, Barton?" Wufei asked.

"It's nothing major, it's just that… Walter thinks that I am willing to let a professional take care of Duo because I was jealous of how he used to be. During the war, that is. He believes that I had wanted to be like Duo."

"He thinks you wanted to act like an idiot?" Wufei asked, snorting with suppressed laughter.

"No, acting happy, smiling all the time." Trowa muttered as he leaned back into his chest, arms going over his chest defensively again.

"Maxwell was never happy. He just acted like it to piss us off."

"Did he? Or was he trying to do something for us? Was he trying to give us something to live for in a time where we had nothing? Maybe he acted like he did, so that we wouldn't self-destruct and leave him alone? Maybe that was what he was afraid of most in the world. Being alone."

"I didn't not live for that idiot. Trust me, that idiot acting like nothing was going on in the world, that there was no turmoil in people's minds was the bane of my existence." Wufei grunted as he snatched up the salt shaker from the other end of the table then began to fiddle with it, using his nail to scrape crusted over salt particles from the slots.

"Don't call him an idiot, Wufei."

"It's what he was, is and forever will be. Nothing more than an idiot."

Trowa didn't say anything for a few seconds, just stared at the Chinese man before he seemed to wither under his gaze, shoulders slumping forward, head bowing as he pressed the finger tips of his free hand to his temple.

"All right, I had missed him, too. I still do miss him, but I still think he used to be an idiot the way he talked and acted."

"That's what he wanted us to think. It was a mask, like all of us had. You had your Justice, I had my silence, Quatra had his caring, and Heero had his emotionless expressions. Duo acted like he was happy all the time so we wouldn't see how upset or lonely he really was. He wanted to be sure that we never saw how truly hurt he was with everything, so we wouldn't have to burden ourselves with him."

"Why are you hiding this from Quatra?" Wufei asked him, unscrewing the salt shaker top.

"Because I'm beginning to think that he is right… Maybe we should take Duo to one of Quatra's mansions and treat him like we would any friend or family member. Just to see what happens."

"What if he gets worse?"

"He can't get any worse than he is right now. The last time I heard from Heero, he said that Duo was talking to himself more and more now. He says that Duo's 'conversations' with 'Solo' are getting more and more frequent. Duo's retreating further and further into his mind. There is nothing any form of medication or the presence of nurses and therapists can do about it."

"Maybe. Maybe not. We don't even know why Maxwell is acting like this. He knows we wouldn't let anything bad happen to him while we're around." Wufei muttered as he used his fork's tong to scrape stuck salt off the silver metal.

"But we're not around. The only one around is Heero, and Duo is so far within his own self-protection that he believes Heero isn't real. He believes Solo is real and Heero is the hallucination brought on by the fact that he was trapped in that room for so long."

"So Maxwell can't judge reality. How is taking him from a familiar setting and placing him in a completely unfamiliar one going to snap him back into reality?"

"I don't know, but it wont hurt anyone to try it out. Duo can't get any worse than he already is. Next Friday we have an appointment to see them. We can go them and sign Duo out."

"You are going to tell Quatra?" Wufei asked.

"I suppose when he gets back from getting his food, I'll tell him. He's their medical proxy so he will have to be the one who si-"

A deep ringing came from inside the pocket of his pants pocket, the ring tone two loud and rather annoying beeps. Frowning, Trowa fished it out and glanced at the caller ID. 'Institute-Heero'.

"It's Heero…" Trowa muttered, confused as to why the other would be calling right now, usually Heero didn't call until after two, that way he could see Duo as long as possible and still make his therapy appointments with Walter.

Shaking it off, he pressed the green answer key the placed the receiver to his ear, listening to the slight static sound on the other end. Wufei sat up in his chair, his arms folding across his chest as a confused scowl etched its way across his face.

"Barton."

"Get us out of here. Now!" Heero growled dangerously on the other line.

Trowa frowned, slowly getting to his feet, "Where are you?"

"Third floor... It was the soonest I stopped myself. Barton, get me and Duo, now, or I'm going to kill everyone in the fucking place. I mean it."

"What's going on?" Wufei asked, frowning as he noted Trowa's now slightly alarmed expression. He shot up from his char, the legs scraping across the wood and moved forward, as if he could hear the phone.

Trowa shook his head at him, as if telling him to stay where he was as he pulled the phone away from his ear and flipped the receiver to reveal a keypad under it, thus putting the phone onto speakerphone and held it out so that Wufei could listen to what Heero was saying.

"What's going on, Heero?" Trowa asked, he had to get as much information out of his brother as he could, but the other wasn't cooperating with his questions.

"Get us out of here, Barton. You have a half an hour or else I'm blowing this place sky high. This is your only warning." Heero growled before the line clicked dead.

"What the hell?" Wufei asked, stunned at the sudden anger and malice in Heero's voice. A tone that he hasn't heard from the other since the end of the first Eve War.

"Get the car, I'll find Quatra." Trowa ordered, snatching up his coat and tucking away his phone.

Wufei nodded before he bolted from the spot where he had been standing. Trowa watched him and left a twenty on the table for the place before he walked out to find Quatra. He found the smaller male standing in one of the lines, searching the displays of food for something that he would want to eat, his plate already half full of different items.

"Quatra." Trowa said softly so he wouldn't startle him or any of the other patrons in the restraunt.

"What?" Quatra asked, looking up at him, noticing the look on his lover's face, he frowned, "What's the matter?"

"Heero just called me from the Institute. Something's wrong. He says that we have to get him and Duo out of there or else he's going to start killing people."

"He's on his medications! He can't-"

"I don't think it's his disorders. I think something's happened to either himself or Duo. He doesn't feel safe there, and the Soldier is trying to take control."

Paling a little, Quatra turned with him, walking briskly along side the taller male out of the place to the front where Wufei pulled the car up in front of them. Keeping the engine going as he watched the two climb into the passenger and rear passenger seats.

"Did you get anything out of him?" Quatra asked as he slid his belt across his chest.

"No. Just that we had to pick him up now. Go!" Trowa said as he slid into the back, the car squealing out of the place before he even had the door closed.

The drive was long and tense. It only lasted twenty five minutes, but it was long enough to rack everyone's nerves. All three of them were hoping that Heero would keep his word of the half an hour and the place would still be in one place once they got there. They kept an eye on the horizon, half expecting to see a mushroom cloud of smoke and debris flying into the air at any moment.

Pulling up into the front, they all leaped out, not even bothering to lock the car or park. A few people yelled at them to move their car but they ignored them in favor of getting into the building. Inside there were people everywhere, it was more packed on this day than they had ever seen the place, and this was the day that it looked like Heero was going to blow the place sky high. Most of them were people visiting loved ones and relatives. Trowa made for the stairs, not even bothering to try with the elevator since it would be too slow for where he needed to go, not to mention there was a line waiting for them.

Bolting the stairs two at a time, this legs burning and aching. The demand for oxygen in his muscles was almost over powering, he almost debating slowing down and taking a break, but Heero's threat still rung true in his ears, forcing him to move even faster, the adrenaline making him forget all about the aching, burning pain in his legs. An Orderly was coming out of the third floor access door, completely unaware of anything until Trowa shoved past him.

"Hey! You can't go in there!" the guy called after Trowa as he disappeared down the halls as if he was never even there.

"This is an emergency. Move." Wufei growled, flashing his badge as he shoved past him, tearing after the taller, faster European male.

Quatra did the same with his badge, following after them the best his shorter legs could take him. He felt like he was close to catching up when he suddenly felt the stabbing pain in his Space Heart, the blinding rage and the pure terror that was coming in the same direction the others had ran to, the force of the emotion making him stumble, clutching the area over his heart. Heero was pissed, that was obvious, and he was going to kill someone if he hadn't done it already. The second emotions, he could barely tell, were Duo's emotions. He was hurting and terrified to the point of it being almost crippling.

When Quatra finally caught up with the others; Trowa was bent before Heero, shaking him and calling for him. The other was staring off at nothing, seeming to stare past Trowa to a door behind him, his eyes distant and blank. Quatra recognized the expression, Heero, strong, never startled Heero, was experiencing shock. Trowa continued to shake and call for the other, his voice and shaking becoming desperate when the other still wouldn't respond. After what felt like an eternity, Heero finally responded and it was extremely violent towards the European male. He made a lunge for Trowa, a roar coming out of him that would scared a bear away. Trowa flung himself backwards and out of the way as Wufei swooped in behind the violent Japanese male, snatched Heero under the arm, pulling him back to him, holding him as Trowa panted in shock, heart racing.

"Heero! What the hell?" Trowa demanded as he sat back up and faced the panting, furious Ex-Wing Pilot, noting how wild and unseeing the cobalt blue eyes were.

"Get him out of here. Get him out now!" he growled, thrashing around, trying to break Wufei's iron grip on his chest.

"What happened? Heero, tell us what the hell happened!" Wufei demanded loudly, holding Heero close to him, almost able to rest his chin on his shoulder.

Heero made a snarling noise that would impress even a tiger, his gaze on the door behind Trowa. The tallest of the four looked over his shoulder. The door looked like any of the other doors down this hallway, painted white with a silver door knob, until he noticed that the knob was replaced with another knob that had locks on them, and was turned so that the locks were on the outside rather than inside. There was a couple gray thing lodged in the lock that looked like a thick wire, something Heero had found in order to pick the locks.

"We took him here for them to help him…" Heero growled, his voice teetering between wanting to lash out again, and wanting to scream in agonizing pain.

Trowa frowned as he reached forward and turned the door knob. He could hear the tumblers clicking before he pushed the door open, not moving to enter yet as he let light pour into the pitch black room. The room was completely bare of everything. It had no bed, no sink, no toilet, no light fixtures and no windows. It was completely closed off and seemed to have never have been used before as it still smelled like it had just been painted.

Huddled in the corner, shaking like a leaf in the fall, was Duo. His hands gripping his short hair in a death grip, as if he was going to pull them out by the roots. His knuckles were white with the pressure of holding onto the strands, his shoulders tense and drawn up to his ears. His knees drawn up, his forehead pressed to his white knees

"Duo." Trowa muttered as he strode into the room to the huddled mass.

He made it two steps from Duo when the ex-Deathscythe pilot lifted his head quickly, like a startled animal would lift their head catching a whiff of some sort of predator. There was no fake joy, no confusion, only pure fear then the instinct to lash out and protect himself.

"Duo, don't." Trowa prompted, holding up his hands in surrender as he saw the slight movement in Duo's body as he tensed his muscles to attack.

Duo looked at him, blinking in surprise before he narrowed his eyes, distrust filling the violet depths before he retreated back into his corner again, curling in on himself like before, hands moving up over his head, protecting it but not taking his eyes off of Trowa.

"Heero.. What happened?" Wufei asked, looking at the still seething Japanese male.

"They told me that he was sick. That he was too sick to see anyone. They lied to me. They wouldn't let me see him. I saw that... that... he was walking up here, I followed him. He went into that room for a while then came out. I didn't think anything of it." Heero rambled, his head lowering as if he was going to cry or break down.

Trowa frowned in worry as he knelt down, studying Duo as he stared at back at the taller male, curling tighter into himself when the other moved. He didn't trust him near him at all, and he wasn't going to relax.

"They kept him here… for two days, in the pitch black… They sent him back into that room… Made him relive it again until his mind snapped again… I followed him again. While I was waiting, he went into the room, then there was this horrible screaming. It sounded like he was being stabbed, or tortured all over again. The new guy ran out of the room, slamming the door and locking it behind him! He locked him back in. The Orderlies and that new therapist were leaving here... I waited until they were gone and picked the lock. I had to see what was in here. I found him, sobbing in the corner, mumbling to himself. When I touched him, he started screaming. It was the exact same scream I heard before. He was screaming. It was so loud. I couldn't take it."

"Electro-Convulsive Therapy." Trowa muttered softly, watching the shaking young man as he began to make small whimpering noises as his fear grew.

"What's that?" Wufei asked.

"It's like Sensory deprivation, but instead of it being used as a punishment, it's used to shock someone back to reality... They used to use it before Colony times, even before modern medicine, to try and force people who have gone insane to return to the real world. Duo.." Trowa called, swallowing thickly when Duo responded to his name.

Quatra moved a little into view of the room, looking in at the huddled mass in the corner that was now eyeing him fearfully and distrusting, any form of relaxing he was thinking of doing was replaced with the sudden urge to curl tighter into himself. More people. More people to hurt him. To betray him.

"Quatra, sign them out of here. We're taking them home." Trowa said, watching Duo as he swallowed thickly again then slowly lowering himself to one knee, holding his hands palm out to the scare male to show that he was not only unarmed but wasn't going to hurt him, it didn't seem to work as Duo flinched away from his hands, "Duo, do you remember me?"

Duo swallowed hard, his eyes narrowing into slits as he glared at the hands trying to seem innocent, "Yes... "

"We're... we're going to take you home now. Where you will be safe." He said, holding his hand out for the smaller male to take, wincing himself when Duo flinched away from them.

"Nowhere is safe... It's all... corrupted..." Duo muttered softly, his voice almost devoid of any emotion besides fear and distrust.

"Duo, do you remember all of us? Remember that we were friends? We were family?" Trowa asked.

Duo looked at him, eyebrows raising a little in confusion.

"Remember... We celebrated Christmas together? Had lunch? We were together, we were family. We were friends." Trowa muttered softly, looking at them before he swallowed a little as Duo's eyes welled with tears brought on by memories of a happier time.

"Yes.. I remember that." he murmured before he buried his face in his hands, shaking in them again.

"We can take you out of here. A place where the walls are free... Where they aren't closing in on you... Duo. Would you like to do that?"

Duo nodded, wrapping his arms over his chest, his small hands and thin fingers wrapping their opposite brethren arm as he looked up at him, "Don't... send me back... into the dark... Don't send me back. No more, please."

"We can manage that… No more, Duo. I promise. We wont send you back to the dark, you can count on that."

Duo nodded, laying his head on his knees again before he forced his fingers further back into his head a small hiccup and sniffle coming from him, "My hair... it's gone..." he whimpered, his voice thick as if he was going to start to cry.

"We found you like that. They had to remove some more for the surgeries, but... it will grow back, Duo." Trowa muttered softly.

"My hair... All I had of Solo... of Father Maxwell... Of Sister Helen. I don't have them anymore." he sniffled, fat tears rolling down the sides of his face.

"No, Duo. You still have them. They're still with you. We can grow your hair back. We'll grow it longer now. You can grow it to the length you had it for your loved ones, then further for the good times we will have together again." Trowa explained, scooting a little closer to him.

"Why did you guys take so long? Why didn't you find me sooner?" Duo sobbed as more tears fell from the sides of his face, "Why did you leave me with them? Why did you let them keep me for so long? Why didn't you find me?"

"We didn't know that you were kidnapped, Duo. I swear, we didn't."

"Didn't know..." Duo repeated with a dry chuckle and wet sniffle, "Didn't know... They didn't know..."

Trowa swallowed thickly again before he looked over at the other two in the hallway, watching as Heero shook his head in disbelief. He seemed more down to Earth now, and Wufei was slowly relaxing his grip on his brother.

"He brought him back but at what consequence?" Heero asked, frowning deeply before he swallowed softly, looking at Duo, who was still sobbing in the corner, his heart aching for him, "What's going to happen now?"

Trowa glanced at Duo before he looked back at Heero, panicking building up inside of him as the question rolled in his head. What /were/ they going to do now? What could they do now? Duo was a wreck, Heero was just waiting for a chance to kill someone for this. They couldn't leave the two of them here, and it looked like Trowa's biggest fears had come true. Duo didn't trust any of them at all. He didn't want them getting close to him because he was afraid they would hurt him or worse, kill him. What were they going to do to be able to take care of, not only themselves, but a distraught, angry Heero, and a emotionally wrecked, untrusting Duo.

"Trowa?" Wufei asked, looking at his friend and brother as the Latin teen turned his single eye gaze to the Chinese male, "What are we going to do now?"

Swallowing thickly, Trowa lowered his gaze, trying to think fast but nothing would stick in his head. He didn't know what to do.

"We'll take them to Quatra's house. We are living there right now. We'll take them there and from there... we'll have to wait and see." he muttered softly, slowly turning back to Duo as scared violet eyes looked at him, unsure of the prospect of leaving with them.

They had lost Duo's trust somewhere in the five years that he was with those bastards. A trust that Duo freely gave to them before. Now, they would have to earn that trust back while helping Duo cope with the harsh reality of what had happened, and what will happen to him. It was going to be an emotional roller coaster for all of them, but for Duo, it was a roller coaster that the four of them would happily ride out. The way might be highs, lows, twists and turns, but the hope to see that smiling face once again would power them through it, and hopefully be able to see that smile once again.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ardra: What'cha think?


	10. Chapter 10

Hey, everyone...

So I suppose I have a bit of explaining to do with everyone. I haven't updated in forever, and I apologize for that. There's been so much going on in my life, and it's been hard to find time to do everything and keep up with this. I have something so far, but I don't know when I'll be able to update again. I have not forgotten about this, and I do have what I'm going to do next, but what it's mostly going to be chapter redoing for a while. Especially that random chapter, where one second Duo's in heart surgery and then randomly, he's being taken to the psyche ward. I just realized that a few days ago and I am working on fixing it.

Anyways, for now, here's something for you guys and I do ask that you forgive the delay and be very patient with me... or at least attempt to bare with me.

"Blah Blah Blah"- Talking  
{thinking}

"*Blah blah Blah*"- a voice from their subconcious

/Blah blah blah/- A scenario from the past(Duo)  
/"Blah Blah Blah"/- Talking in a scenario from the past(Duo)

["blah blah blah"]- Talking in a scenario from the past(Heero)  
[Blah blah blah]- A scenario from the past(Heero)

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Chapter 10**

**-3 Days Earlier-**

Duo looked around with almost childish enthusiasm as he was lead down the white halls. His bare feet squished in his slippers, making him, occasionally, loose focus on walking and then gain interest in the shoes. The assistants kept a close hold on him, making sure that he kept up then held him almost straight up as if they were presenting him to someone.

Before him was a man Duo barely recognized as the man that would soon be replacing Walter as the person to talk to when he was having a bad day. He looked no older than he did, he was sure of it. He stood a little shorter than him, and his hair was kept close to his head. Duo smirked at the man, resisting the urge to mock how small and young he was. Heero told him that it wasn't polite and he wouldn't make friends like that.

"Hello, Mr. Maxwell. Or can I call you Duo?" the young man asked, looking at him.

Duo shifted rather uncomfortably in the hands of his escorts, "Duo would be fine. Who are you?"

"My name is Dr. Lareum, but you can call me Duncan. I'm your new therapist and have taken on your case and treatment from now on."

"What happened to Walter?" Duo asked, tilting his head like a confused child.

"He's getting ready to retire, so he let me get started on you so I would be used to helping you when he was fully retired. Why? Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"You don't look that much older than me! Solo would be ancient compared to you. He's pretty old." Duo muttered, his look a little sour before he shifted again, pulling on the Orderly's hold on him, as if to test how well they were holding onto him.

"Yes, I would imagine he would be pretty old, but I am around twenty-three." Duncan told him, giving him a small smile, pressing his clipboard to his chest.

Duo nodded, not really understanding the relevance to the whole conversation, or the fact that he brought this up to the man in front of him before he looked around again, his interest in a window to his left. He watched the trees sway in a slight breeze, and a few birds flutter past the window, feeling a little at peace at the sight of it.

"Duo?"

Violet eyes turned, resting on the young doctor that nodded when he responded to the call of his name.

"We're going to start a new therapy regiment today. Do you know what I am talking about?"

Duo shook his head, truthfully, he didn't even know what therapy was, let alone what a therapy regiment would entail, but it did sound painful to say the least.

Duncan nodded before he turned his clipboard, a black and white ink blot on the pristine white paper, "What does this look like? Just to see how well you can see."

Duo tilted his head, confused before he stared at the picture, the black dot forming different but completely confusing shapes in his head. Tilting his head to the right a little, he shrugged, "It doesn't look like a person... Maybe a bunch of rats?"

"Rats? Okay. I can buy that." he said before he presented another one, "How about this one?"

Duo stared at it for a second before he shrugged, he didn't know what it was or what it could be. It didn't look like anything to him, just a blob of nothing on a white piece of paper.

"Can you not identify the thing in the picture because you've never seen one before?"

Duo looked at him, shrugging, he didn't know. He didn't understand what theses questions were for, nor did he want to know. He wanted to see Heero, and he wanted to go to the big room where he could color, draw and listen to the voiced from the ceiling sing to him. He wanted to be where Solo would meet him and make him feel safe until it was time for him to leave, he didn't want to be here.

"Okay, Duo. We're going to try something new today, like I said before. We're going to put you in a new room for a couple of hours."

"New room? Is Heero going to be there?" Duo asked hopefully.

"Not right now. After our regiment, we'll let him see you."

Duo looked disappointing at first when he was told Heero wasn't going to be there, but when he was promised that he would see the other man after a little while, he smiled brightly and nodded, excited to be able to see Heero again. Blinking when the guards pulled him along, Duo couldn't help but look around, he didn't like this at all. They lead him down the halls and into a empty room. The only light inside the room came from the open door and the hall lights outside. Duo tensed, his heels digging into the linoleum under him.

"W-wait! You didn't say it would be dark!" Duo stuttered, his voice going high as he suddenly couldn't breath.

"It's only for a little bit, Duo." Duncan told him, coming up behind him as he leaned against the door, clipboard to his chest as he reached up, running his fingers through his hair.

"No, please. Not the dark. Anything but the dark, anything!" Duo gasped, his eyes welling with tears before they spilled down his cheeks and into his shirt.

The guards looked at Duncan, who nodded to them, and they forced the small male into the room, shoving him in and closing the door behind him. Duo gasped as he hit the floor, looking over his shoulder as the door was closed on him, blocking out the light, and plunging him into darkness.

"NO! NO, PLEASE! Oh, God, please! Don't leave me in here!" Duo sobbed as he ran to the door, pressing himself to it, fumbling for the door knob that wouldn't budge under his hand, they'd locked it on him, he wasn't going anywhere, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please! Please, let me out! Turn on the light! PLEASE!"

His begging fell on deaf ears as Duncan and the two orderlies walked away, leaving Duo on his own.

"You sure about this, sir? He seems really freaked out." one of the larger orderlies said, looking over his shoulder where he could still see the door they locked him in.

"Sensory Deprivation has worked many times, especially on those with PTSD and also Amnesia. I am confident that this will snap him out of it." Duncan said.

"What about that other pilot?"

"Tell him he's sick."

"He'll want to see him, still. That boy has the immune system of a saint."

Duncan stopped, looking at him with a frown, "Look, I don't care what you tell Heero Yuy. He's not my patient yet, and when I get complete control of his records, I'll figure out the right drug cocktail and dosage in order to keep him sane and we can be rid of both of them. We aren't getting any funding for those two, since their friend is paying, cash, for all their medical bills. Unless you want this place to go under for being over booked and understaffed, I suggest you field Heero Yuy for a week until I get Heero Yuy and we can get rid of the both of them."

The two nodded, turning down their hallways and going back to their positions and their jobs.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the room, Duo slid down to his knees, holding his head and shaking back and forth. His breathing constricted with panic and the shock of being betrayed by someone that was suppose to help him. He was suddenly thinking clearer. He remembered where he'd seen

"Oh god. Oh God. Solo? Solo? Please be here. You're always in the rooms with me some how, please be here." Duo whimpered before he screamed when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"It's fine, kid. It's me. Relax." Solo whispered in his ear.

Duo sighed as he felt the other kneel beside him, his arm around him and his head on his shoulder. Duo released his head from his vice like grip, lifting it and turning to face the blond beside him, tears streaming down his face still, "Solo, why? Why are they doing this to me? I didn't do anything wrong, did I? Was it because I couldn't answer what that black and white thing was?"

Solo shook his head, leaning forward and kissing Duo's forehead, "No, kid. That's not it. I swear, it's not because of that, and it's not because of you. Some people are just horrible."

"But he was so nice before. With Walter, he was so nice. He smiled, and he gave me a piece of candy. He was nice, why is he like this now? Why are they all like that? They pretend to be my friends, and then turn on me."

"I think it was just to get you to like him, so you would do what he wanted. Look, Kid. I'm here, nothing's going to happen."

"But... the dark." he whimpered, tears streaming down his face again as he remembered the nightmares while in the dark.

"Kid-"

"What if they get me? What if they hurt me again? I don't want to hurt! I don't want to be here! I want Heero! Heero promised I would never go into the dark again, he lied to me! Heero lied to me!" Duo sobbed, curling again before he laid down on the cool floor, pressing his forehead to it as tears rolled down his skin and dripped off his nose with a soft 'plop'.

"Kid, he didn't lie. I promise you, he didn't lie to you. He didn't know that they would do this to you. Heero would never let anything happen to you."

"He let me stay in the dark for so long before." Duo muttered.

"Maybe he didn't know?" Solo muttered as he moved around Duo and laid down behind the thin male, pushing himself close and holding him around his middle.

"Wufei went missing for an hour, and Heero was on the computer, searching for him until he found him a few minutes from the base. Heero never lets anyone go missing for too long."

"Kid, you were kidnapped. No one but the people who took you knew where you were, and Heero was the one who found you, remember?"

"He found me by accident! He wasn't looking for me! He wanted me to go away! They all did!" Duo sobbed, reaching up and pressing his hands to his face, gripping his bangs in a death grip.

Solo sighed, looking down sadly as he leaned down, kissing the back of Duo's neck before he laid his head protectively over the other, holding him as the once long haired male sobbed on the floor. Solo looked down, seeing Duo was asleep he smiled sadly before he leaned forward, "You know I'm not real, Kid. I died a long time ago, in your arms. You were devastated, but you survived, you survived to be a great man, and a world hero. You have to remember, Kid. I know you miss me, and that I was a good friend to you when you were a tyke, but there's no reason for you to have me here. You have your new family. The other pilots, and the other friends you've made during the war. I'm going to leave you now, Kid, and I'm not going to come back. I'll always be with you, but I will not come to help you anymore. You don't need me. I'm sorry to have to do this to you, Kid, but I can't keep suppressing these memories for you, you have to learn to deal with them yourself. Remember, Kid, one day at a time, and just for today, I'll live like tomorrow was my last. Love ya, kid. Remember that."

...

Duo sighed softly in his sleep, shifting a little then opening his eyes. Tear stained cheeks itched him, so he reached up and rubbed them which caused his eyes to burn.

"Solo?" he asked softly, looking around, "Solo?"

No one responded to his calls, he felt completely alone and cold. Fear bubbled inside of him, his eyes welled with fresh tears, his heart raced and stomach plummeted.

"SOLO! PLEASE!" he screamed but, again, no one answered.

The shaking and sobbing starting fresh again, Duo moved away from the door, pressing his back to the wall and curling into a fetal position against it. He leaned down, pressing his forehead to his knees as he began to hyperventilate, his breaths shallow and harsh. Between his parted lower legs, just under the knees, he could see through his lap a soft light shining through before a shadow made it disappear for a second, then it was back. He felt something take his arm and he jerked away, crying out in alarm.

Something else grabbed his other arm, holding him tightly as something was slid into his skin. He couldn't really feel what was going on until the hands were gone. He finally opened his eyes, the light blinding him for a second, then it cleared to show the man in the large, white overcoat that had forced him in here. Duncan.

"Let me go. Please." he whimpered to the man.

Duncan didn't move as he stared at him, then his face contorted and twisted into a different face. This one was more familiar, and feared. He felt the same panicking fear grab a hold of him again as the man that was his captor for five years now stood before him.

"No. No! I'm not here! You're not real!" Duo cried out, panting hard, unable to catch his breath.

He felt like he had just run for seventy miles non-stop. He could catch his breath, he couldn't think, and he could barely see. He wanted Heero to take him away again, to make him feel safe. He wanted anyone to help him, to make him feel safe.

"*No one is going to help you.*" a soft, almost menacing voice whispered in his ear.

"Heero will." Duo sniffled, his body moving as if to defend itself, but he was too weak and tired.

"*They never liked you, and you know it*" the voice murmured.

A small sniffle came from the thin man as he felt something shift in his subconscious. He could feel as if there was something, or someone, moving inside his head. It was like a bad itch, or a tiny critter crawling in your hair, yet you knew no matter how much you scratched or searched for the critter, it would not go away. He knew this feeling. How many times had he forced it back into the recesses of his mind, only to call on it in the very next battle that he would feel too overwhelmed to finish. The secret he kept from all of the others for as long as humanly possible, the secret he thought was dead.

"*You and I both know it. They never liked us." the voice continued, seeming to wrap that thought around his mind as the hallucinations charged him, shadowy figures threw punches that he could feel even when he knew they weren't real.

It was like a bad nightmare that you couldn't wake up from. No amount of shock or wanting to wake up would make him do so. He closed his eyes, hoping that doing this would make it go away, but the hallucination continued behind his closed eye lids. The figures continued to punch, kick and throw him against the wall by either his arm or his head. The pain never subsiding even for a second.

"*How many times have you heard 'shut up, baka'?*" the voice asked, Heero's voice filling his head, "*Or someone telling you to leave them alone? Even Quatra doesn't want anything to do with you. He would rather see you captured and tortured for the rest of your life than deal with you trying to make a friend the only way you know how. None of them liked you. Hell, they could've been the ones that ordered your capture. Admit it.*"

'Duo.'

Violet eyes snapped open at the call of his name. He couldn't see anything past the men before him, throwing punches at his gut, and the man standing before the open door, blocking the light with his silhouette. There didn't seem to be anyone there, and he almost let himself believe that he hadn't heart anything until he heard his name being called again. It wasn't like the voice of Shinigami that felt like a veil shrouding his mind, nor was it like how he was able to hear the grunts of the men that were punching and kicking him, where it felt like it was coming from everywhere and nowhere. This voice was a voice he could actually hear.

/"Are you ready, Mr. Maxwell?" a scarily familiar voice hissed above his head./

"N-no. Please. Please, leave me alone." Duo sobbed, holding his head tightly, hoping that would banish the illusions.

/"The Lord is very patient, but I am not. I will ask you once more, the blue prints, Mr. Maxwell." the voice growled./

"No!" Duo screamed, 'hands' grabbing his shoulders and forcing him against the wall flat.

/Before him, the man in the pressed, neat suit stepped forward, brandishing a filled needle. Fear's cold hand wrapped around his heart, threatening to stop it as his body went through the hallucination's motion all on its own. Tears streamed down his face as he looked away, choking back a sob as he 'felt' the familiar bite of the needle being slipped into his arm and the poison burning through this veins./

'What do you see?'

"They want me to talk, but the beatings don't work. I'm too used to them from my time in the war, being beaten for information every time I'm captured, so they're doing something else." Duo sobbed, his voice cracking as he leaned his head back, gasping in pain as his whole body started to burn as it spread within him.

'Concentrate. Do you see what it is?'

/Duo made a gagging noise before he opened his eyes, the 'light' hitting his eyes, making them sting before they burned harshly. He blinked back the tears, watching as 'the suited man' walked back to his case and opened it. He placed a clear vial back into its spot before he broke the needle off the plunger and tucked it into a plastic box labeled 'Sharps'./

"G used to use it on rats... to see what it does. It's... poison." Duo rasped, surprised at how fast the poison was traveling through his system, and how little his system was fighting this.

'What is it?'

"Mercury." Duo rasped again, his body going lax, his hands starting to tingle and burn.

Duo clenched his eyes shut, he slightly felt himself sliding down until he was laying on his side on the floor, shaking. He gasped, his throat feeling like it was closing in, at the edge of his vision, the darkness that framed it started to narrow more and more until all he could see was a tiny pin of light.

/"R-d t- t-k m-fuh-jur-da."/

Duo winced, he couldn't understand what the person was saying at all, he couldn't tell if it was the voice questioning him, or if it belonged to the man, he tried to voice his confusion but his voice sounded weird even to him, all blurred together and broken. He slightly felt the tears fall down his face, but he could feel the heat stirring inside of him, growing and spreading. It was burning him. Burning him alive. He couldn't take it anymore. He screamed into the ground, eyes clenched shut against the pain, the rest of his body refusing to respond.

Duncan watched Duo as he slid to the ground, blinking in surprise as he relived the horrible memories that he'd been suppressing all this time. He was still aware, and was answering questions, but he was living through the memories, as if they were happening to him right now.

"Mercury? They poisoned him with Mercury?" Duncan asked softly, jumping when Duo started to scream in pain.

Panicking, Duncan leap out of the room and slammed the door shut with a rather loud thudding click. Gasping softly, Duncan shook his head, holding his clipboard protectively to his chest. He sighed as the adrenaline began to settle in his body, his heart slowing to normal pace, and his hands starting to shake.

"He's worse off than I thought. I'll have to try and find something else to work on with him. I wonder how long they used Mercury, if they moved on to other poisons. Mercury explains his sensory impairments, and why his Schizophrenia is worse than Heero Yuy or Change Wufei's. I'll have to have the LPN do a fully body check on him, look for Paralysis in any extremity or skin patch. This is going to take longer than I thought." Duncan grumbled before he pushed off the wall and grabbed his cellphone, speed dialing the Nurse's Office and pressing it to his ear, "Linda? It's Duncan, I need you to set up for a patient check. Yes. Yes. Duo Maxwell. 22." he rattled off as he moved down the hall, leaving the door locked and closed with Duo suffering behind it.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Heero walked into the Sun Room. Looking around and frowning when he didn't see Duo at all. A scowl formed on his face as he marched to the Medication window, knocking on it to get the Nurse's attention behind it. She turned, her name tag reading Ledi. She had short red hair, and hazel eyes. She was pretty, but he wasn't thinking of that as she asked him what she could do for him.

"Duo Maxwell. He's suppose to be here right now. It's his Craft Therapy time." Heero said, frowning a little.

She nodded and flipped through the books, looking up Duo's Therapy Schedule before she nodded, "He doesn't have it this week. Dr. Larium discontinued his sessions until next week."

"Why would he do that?" Heero asked, frowning at her.

"He said that he was going to do more one on one with Duo for this week, since he was just getting his charts and medical records, and he wanted to get to know his new patient better before Walter retired at the end of the month."

Heero scowled a little at the reminder that his therapist was retiring before he leaned forward, "When can I see him? Is he still allowed his Aqua Therapy for his heart?"

She looked down, her finger dragging over the paper before she shook her head, "He's canceled all therapy sessions for Duo for this week except for the ones with him at three, and those have been extended from an hour, to two."

"But he needs that physical therapy for his heart and muscular dystrophy. He can't halt his regiments just because this man wants to 'get to know him.' He'll die without them."

"Heero, calm down. I'm sure a week wont do anything to him." she said.

"It only takes three days for a already week muscle to loose all the strength it's built up. Please, you can't have those therapies canceled."

"Did you take your morning pill yet, Heero?" Ledi asked, a soft look on her face.

Heero stared at her in surprise, his head bowing between his arms then he sighed softly, "No, I haven't. Linda was busy with another patient, and had no time to give it to me." he murmured.

"Well, I have extras of your prescription. Here." she said, turning and administering the pill into a paper cup, then pouring cold water into a pitcher.

Turning, she pushed them through the gap between the counter and the bullet proof glass to him. Heero sighed softly, taking the pill cup, tipping his head back as he took the pill and drank the water to wash it down. He waited, feeling the pills and water slide down his throat then looked at her again.

"I know I sound horrible, or paranoid when I say this but... I don't want anything to happen to him. It's been a long road to get him better, to get him at least this much better than he was. I don't want all of that to be ruined just because Larium wants to spend time with Duo. He doesn't need that, he'll be put back in the hospital, and all his progress will be lost. I want him better." Heero muttered, looking down before he mentally scolded himself for acting like this in front of someone else.

"I know you do, Heero. We all want him better, we want you all better, but these kind of things take time. Think of it like this, if Larium doesn't know Duo too well, he wont be able to help him better, and if he can't grow in his care plans with Duo's growth, Duo wont advance or fall behind, he'll stay where he is." she said softly, smiling to the still distraught young man before her.

"Is there any way I can see him at all? I want to give him a drawing I drew for him, and a few pictures from our friends."

She smiled before she checked the books one more time, "It doesn't say anything like that but I'm sure you can asked Larium during your appointment with him. I'm sure he will let you see Duo."

Heero nodded, stepping back from the window and sighing softly, "When is my appointment? If he's extended Duo's visits, everyone must be pushed back, or forward."

"Yours is in thirty minutes. It's all going to be all right, Heero. The Orderlies on Duo's floor do have orders to make sure he does his personal Exercises. It's going to be fine. Happy sixth year, Heero." she smiled at him.

Heero nodded again, still unsure about all of this. He didn't want to see anything happen to Duo, and he was scared that Duo would regress in his therapy, or his heart would get weak again. After his transplant, the doctor said that he would have to do at least five years of therapy in order to make sure that his body didn't reject his new heart, and to be sure that it is strong enough to survive during the treatment of Duo's malnourishment and the other problems his body had because of being starved for five years.

"*Why do you care so much for him? We should be focusing on the mission. He's a distractions.*"

"He is my mission. My distracting mission. He's too weak to help himself, I have to do it. The others don't know what to do for him. I'm the only one who's been in this place before, or been in a situation like this. I can't lose him again." Heero muttered softly, reaching up and attempting to flatten his unruly hair, a habit he'd gotten into after Trowa sent him here the first time.

Heero smiled sadly as he remembered that time four years ago. It was the worse day of his life, but it was a disguised blessing since it got him the help he needed but refused to admit to himself that he wanted as well as needed.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**[Four Years ago(from three days ago)**

The last mission had taken months to complete. Weeks of stake-outs, watching people come and go, then moving in and infiltrating the organization as a 'new recruit.' He couldn't believe how amazing it felt to be back in the action again, the feeling like the war was still going on, and his life depended on his every movement. The old Soldier inside of him loved the thrill, he lived for it. Every nerve in his body had been on alert, pins and needles in ever extremity and hair follicle. He wanted more, it was like a drug to him, a natural high. The Adrenaline, the amazement, the feeling of being completely alive. He never wanted it to end, then Preventers came in, and arrested everyone, even those under cover to keep their cover in case they needed them to get information while in 'jail.' It had been a disappointment when he heard Une's order's to proceed with the operation as planned. He hadn't said anything at the last meeting, knowing that he would want to try and prolong the infiltration a little longer, just a little, Trowa wanted out, he couldn't take it anymore. He had been adjusting very well to the new life when he was called into duty for Preventers.

He had allowed himself to be taken, never mind he could have broken away and run to the headquarters of the place he'd infiltrated, and been a real member of the organization until he got bored of it. It was this kind of thing that he needed in his life, to appease the Soldier inside of him. He needed it to keep him from talking all the time, after a mission, he was always silent. Heero loved those times because he slept so beautifully when he was quiet. Even his nightmares didn't bother him as bad when the Soldier was calm again. He needed these missions to last as long as possible, the longer the mission, the longer the Soldier was quiet and the better he slept.

"Heero?"

Heero jerked, spinning, hands moving up defensively until Trowa's face finally forced its way through the fog of his mind and he relaxed once more, "Trowa."

"Are you all right? You seem tense." Trowa explained, looking at his comrade and brother.

Heero nodded, "Just thinking. Has Une done anything to the Don yet?"

Trowa gave him a skeptical look, the eyebrow to his one visible eye raising a bit, "Yes. She's already handed him and all the evidence on him to the State, and he's been transported to the hold cell."

Heero nodded, "So there's nothing else she needs from us for this mission?"

"Not yet, but she says that she might need some of us to appear on the stand and testify."

Heero nodded again then turned, feeling the familiar itch in the back of his head, like his scalp itched, but it felt under it. Trowa watched him go then turned and went to return to the paper work he was doing with Quatra and Wufei. The other two were passing papers and files to each other, working together to get this paper work done quicker.

"Where are we?" Trowa asked as he retook his seat beside Quatra and across from Wufei.

"Filing Week two. It's been a little hard, since that was the week of the assassination attempt on the Governor and we had to halt everything until he was rescued." Wufei said as he handed Trowa a document that required the European's signature.

"How's Heero doing?" Quatra asked as he slid a pile of papers into a file labeled Week Seven in bold Sharpie print.

"He says he's doing fine, but I think those missions effect him more than he will tell us. I think he should go see the Therapist with us." Trowa said as he signed effortlessly.

"Why, so all four of us can be labeled as insane?" Wufei grumbled as he signed something himself.

"Wufei, no one thinks we're insane, and those that do are people wondering if they are themselves." Quatra explained, smiling as he shifted through papers again.

"Says you." Wufei muttered until someone running past yelling caught his attention, "What int he wold?"

Trowa stood from his spot again, Quatra following him, and Wufei just leaning forward in his seat as Trowa snatched someone running by and pulled them to him by their shirt, "What's going on?"

"There's someone on the ledge on the 27th floor! He's going to jump!" he said quickly, his eyes wide as he looked up at the much taller male that had him.

"Jump?" Quatra gasped, hands pressing to his mouth in surprise, "Who?"

"Agent Yuy!" he gasped when Trowa dropped him then tore up the halls to the staircases.

"Trowa!" Quatra gasped, running after the taller male.

They were on the eleventh floor, and to get to the 27th floor on foot was murder on anyone's knees and legs but Trowa, his long legs, with the added effect of the adrenaline coursing through him and worry that he wasn't going to make it to save his brother in time forced him up all sixteen flights onto to run into the back of the crowd.

"Move, you imbeciles!" he roared, shoving past the on lookers then into the office, "Heero?"

He looked around, blinking before he rushed to the window, sticking his head out. Sitting on the ledge, gun resting on his knees, was Heero, his Preventers uniform gone and replaced with his old Green tank top and black spandex shorts. Blue eyes were looking out onto the city below, no emotion inside them, and seemed completely unaware of the fact that he was a wrong shift away from plunging twenty-seven stories to his death.

"Heero." Trowa called softly so he wouldn't startle the other.

"Barton." Heero grunted shortly in greeting, not looking away.

"Heero, what are you doing? Get back in here." Trowa said, climbing into the window sill before he felt something grab him.

"Trowa, don't." Quatra hissed fearfully, watching the taller man, afraid he would fall with Heero.

"I have to talk him back inside, Quatra." Trowa said lowly, making sure he could hear him.

"What if you fall?" Quatra whimpered, fear in his eyes.

Trowa looked at him before he felt his resolve solidified as he leaned forward, gently kissing him on the lips then moving back, "I won't fall. I promise." he said then climbed through the window, sliding over and sitting beside his brother, looking at him, "Heero, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, much. I miss it, Barton." Heero muttered, his voice mono-toned, like it was back in the war a year and a half ago.

"I miss it, too. I miss feeling like I was making a difference. That I mattered." Trowa explained.

"I miss the adrenaline rush, the ability to kill if I wanted to, or if I needed to. I have never not been not on edge, Barton. It was my life before, and I miss it all." Heero explained, his eyes not leaving ahead of him.

"Heero, we can work to get you better."

"There's nothing wrong with me, it's the rest of the world." Heero growled, his eyes turning colder and dark in his rage.

"Heero, the world isn't sitting on the edge of the twenty-seventh floor with a loaded gun in his reach."

"The world isn't going to kill itself." Heero muttered rather off hand, like he was talking about the weather.

"What? Heero, you can't-"

"My mission is complete. There is no other option except to self-terminate."

"What about Duo? I thought you loved him." Trowa said, a frown on his face.

"Love is a distraction that I do not need. Even if I did love him, Duo's gone. He doesn't want anything to do with me."

"That's not true. Duo's just as confused as you are, and he went to find himself. He likes you, too, Heero."

"It doesn't matter, he's not here, is he?"

"Heero, he'll come back. I promise he will, and when he does, it'll be like how it used to be. You two like two brothers, always together and always taking care of each other."

Heero shook his head, "No. He'll be different when he comes back, if he comes back, and I'm the last person he'll want to see after how I used to treat him."

"Duo doesn't hate you, Heero."

"Why hasn't he written? E-mailed? Visited? He doesn't want anything to do with us. Open your eyes, Trowa." Heero growled as he snatched up his gun and cocked it once.

Trowa swallowed a little, watching his brother check to be sure the safety was off then it was properly loaded, "I can't speak for Duo, Heero, but I am sure, where ever he is, he's thinking about you. Who knows, he might have left all of us because he thought he wasn't good enough for you. That's a nice thought to think, please Heero. You wont ever know unless we find him and you confess to him."

"So I can get what little bit of heart I have broken?"

"You have a lot of heart. You were the one that went back into the burning unit to rescue a trapped little girl during one of our raids, no one else would go in, not even Wufei or me. You went back inside for her, you rescued her and now she's preforming her first dance recital, she invited you to it."

Heero stared at his gun before he looked at Heero, "I couldn't let her burn."

"Exactly why you're more of a human than anyone else, Heero. You saw she was precious and precious to someone, so you rescued her. You're the one who started our monthly Orphanage visit for community service. While everyone else was content in just sitting watching TV in a Pound to claim service, you were going into Orphanages and volunteering your time, money, and effort to make sure they knew they were loved, fed, and had books to read. You even taught a boy too old to be adopted how to read. He's graduating from High school next year, after only passing because his teachers were tired of having him in their classes."

"Duo would've done it..." Heero muttered softly.

Trowa nodded, "And Duo wouldn't have wanted you to kill yourself, because you were his best friend."

"No, I wasn't."

"You were. He told me so. When we were grounded during a air search for us after a mission, we were stuck in a cave and we were talking. Duo called you his best friend, and would only talk about you. He cares for you, Heero, he just needed some time to adjust."

"Why are you doing this?"

"You're my brother, and one of my best friend. I trust you to watch my back, save my life, and protect me, now I'm doing the same for you. Let me save you." Trowa said, holding his hand out to the other, who just looked at it, as if he didn't know what to do.

"He wont stop."

"We can work on it. Wufei, Quatra and I are going to therapy to help with ours. Nanashi barely comes forth anymore, he can help you, too. He can make your Soldier calm down for as long as you will let him." Trowa explained, looking at his friend, hoping he would take it.

"What if he can't?"

"He can. I thought he couldn't help me, too, but he did. I thought, since I've been like this since before I can remember, that he wouldn't be able to help me, but he has. Heero, you remember a time before The Perfect Soldier, a time where you felt comfortable and safe. A time with your old mentor, Odin Lowe. He can help you feel like that again, but with everyone in the world."

"Everyone? What if I don't want it?"

"Then enough to just function. This is the perfect opportunity for you, my brother. Let us help you. Please, Heero."

The Japanese male looked at the hand again, seeming to weigh his options then looked at the gun in his hand, "Duo gave this to me."

"I know, you can keep it, I just need to know that you aren't going to use it on yourself, and that you aren't going to jump."

Heero nodded, flipping the safety, then releasing the hatch and emptying the barrel and cartilage, holding the gun to his chest protectively. It was all he had left of Duo beside some photos from OZ and the one picture from the Christmas Party. Technically, it was a shot of a couple, but Duo was behind them, smiling and laughing at something that was said to him by someone. They were his most precious possessions, he had them framed and on his desk at home, his gun with him at all times. He hated being away from the longer haired male, but it was what made Duo happy, so he let it be. He wanted nothing more than to be beside him, holding him, maybe, or at least having his friend with him again. Duo was the first person he ever let get close to him, not even Relena was as close to him as Duo was, his best friend.

"You ready to go back inside?" Trowa asked, urging his hand toward Heero again.

Heero sighed, nodding, taking his hand in his own, following as Trowa slid towards the window then climbed through it, helping Heero through as well. Both Trowa and Heero jerked in alarm, and moved back when the on-lookers cheered and clapped happily for the two. The ones not clapping were Quatra, who was holding his head, as if he had a headache, and Une, who was standing there, looking worriedly pissed.

"What the hell was that?" Une demanded from Heero, who was still holding his gun close, now even closer, afraid she would take it away.

"Heero just had a small break down. He should see the therapist with the rest of us." Trowa explained, moving closer, protectively, to the smaller male.

Une frowned, glaring at Heero before she sighed, pressing her finger tips to her temple, "All right. Heero, your gun-"

"Please, I wont fire it, I'll leave it at home but please don't take it." Heero muttered softly.

"A friend gave it to him, it's all he has. Let him have it, Une." Trowa said, "Just set up his appointments, then the gun and the ledge will never be a problem again."

Une frowned before she seemed to give up and nodded, "Fine, but I want a weekly report. Got me?" she demanded.

Heero and Trowa nodded stiffly.]

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Heero sighed miserably as he remembered that day. He's freaked out because he thought Duo left him on purpose, when in reality Duo had been take away from all of them. He felt horrible for thinking those things about Duo, but there was nothing he could do about it, only move to rectify it. He checked the clock, he wasn't allowed a watch, and turned heading to his appointment with Larium. He walked into the room, not bothering to knock and sat in his seat. Watching as the man finished paper work and turned to him.

"Heero, how are you?" he asked, head tilted.

"Fine, I was looking for Duo. I have some things to give to him."

"What?" Duncan asked, looking at Heero with interest.

"I drew him something, and our friend came to visit me yesterday and gave these pictures of them to me to give to him. He'll love it." Heero muttered, smiling softly as he thought of how Duo would react.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Heero. Duo's sick right now. We had to confine him to his room until he's better." Duncan said, watching the other, who tensed in his seat.

"Sick? Duo's sick? What's the matter with him? Is he all right? Will he be ok? Is there anything I can do for him? Oh, no, his heart's already weak. He can't take a horrible illness." Heero said, sittin gup straighter, shaking.

"Relax, Heero. It's a cold is all, but I don't want him to infect the other patients, or you, so we had to quarantine him for the time being. His therapy will be done the same way, but he can't come out." Duncan informed him, frowning as Heero frowned at him then shook his head, rubbing his fingers through his locks.

"Are you sure?" he asked softly, afraid for his friend.

Duncan smiled, nodding to him, "I'm positive. By this time next week, he'll be completely normal once more."

Heero sighed, looking down, "Ok. I'll hold onto them."

"I can give them to an orderly to give to him." Duncan told him but Heero shook his head.

"I would rather give them to him myself. I want to see his face. I want to see him smile again."

Duncan frowned, watching Heero before he tilted his head, "Heero, why are you so interested in seeing Duo smile again?"

"He's my best friend. That's all I used to see him do is smile, and now, he doesn't smile at all. It's rather depressing."

"Depressing?" Duncan asked, "What do you mean? It's not because of your emotional attachment to him?"

Heero sighed, nodding, "He was always smiling when we were younger. He was the life of the party, and he loved making friends. Seeing him, not like that, its depressing and sad. True, I do have an emotional attachment to him, but it has nothing to do with my want for him to be happy."

"I see. Was he the life of the party, or was that what he wanted you guys to see?"

"I am not sure. I'm sure he showed us what we wanted to see but... even after everything, he was still the same. He was still the Duo I knew. The one that I had grown fond of."

Duncan frowned, watching him before he settled in with his papers and began to ask the usual questions of to the other man, getting the same answers as always.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Heero felt a little more drained than normal walking out of his therapy session. He ran his fingers through his hair for the millionth time today while making a slow pace towards his room. He didn't really understand everyone's obsession with leaving Duo like he was. No one else saw Duo as anything more than what he used to be and what he was now. No one, but him, could think of the ex-Deathscythe pilot as a precious person that needed all the help that he could get.

Trained ears picked up a small clicking sound. Heero, stopping all movements, turned his head to see Duncan moving with purpose away from his office.

'I thought he had other patients after me.' Heero thought to himself, weighing his options.

He could follow the man and see what he was sneaking off to do, but this would run the risk of him being caught, and those stars he was collecting to take Duo outside being taken away. He suddenly felt like a five year-old, not doing something because he was afraid of one of his Special Stars would be taken away. On the other hand, he could ignore the whole event and go to his room, laying down to take a nap. A nap sounded wonderful about now, but his curiosity got the better of him.

Duncan seemed to be going nowhere in the facility. He stopped to talk to nurses here and there, he would do room calls on patients unable to leave their room for some reason or another, and then he would move on. Heero, shaking his head, gave up his slow chase for nothing but his own paranoia creeping up on him when Duncan was suddenly flanked by a couple of the biggest Orderlies in the whole facility. Idly, Heero wondered what the man would want with those two and began to follow them again.

They moved to the Third Floor and Heero watched as the therapist unlocked the door and slipped into the room behind it. Heero watched as the Orderlies waited outside the door, watching it closely before Duncan walked out of it, shaking his head.

"Sleeping." he faintly heard the man say before the door was locked again and the three walked away.

Heero waited for a bit before he was sure that the three were gone. Shuffling soundlessly to it and pressed his ear to the wood. There was silence behind it, and Heero dismissed the notion of anything actually being behind there. Completely dismissing the door, and its contents, Heero took the long way back to his room and curled up in bed. More than ready for that nap.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After two days of Duo still being missing, Heero was beyond worried. He was scared now. He didn't show it, his face still calm and impassive as he shifted through the halls, asking people about his missing friend. He couldn't take not knowing and no one else seemed to know what was going on with the other pilot either. It was like Duo just disappeared from the facility.

After his session with Duncan, Heero saw the man leaving his office again, heading down the same hall with the same Orderlies. Now annoyed, Heero tailed them again, following them, again, to the third floor and to the same door. Heero observed Duncan going into the room, alone, but this time they left the door wide open. Heero shifted, trying to get a glance at what lay beyond the door, but there was nothing that he could see. A loud, agonized scream came from inside the room, making the Orderlies and Heero jerk in alarm as Duncan flew out of the room, slamming the door closed behind him, muttering something under his breath.

The Orderlies didn't wait to be dismissed as they both turned, lumbering down the hall they had come from. Heero bolted into the empty room in his corner, peeking from the cracked door as the two left. He was about to come out of his hiding spot, to see where Duncan was when said man briskly walked past, talking rather loudly and ecliptic on his little cell phone. Once the voice was gone, Heero slid out of his hiding spot and to the door. He pressed his hands to the cold surface then his ear, listening to the soft sobs behind the door.

"*Don't do it.*" a small voice said, one of those little voices that would have a little figure of an angel sitting on one's shoulder telling them what to do, "*We're suppose to be civilized now. Civilians don't go kicking down doors because they're curious.*"

"Kicking. I can pick the lock." Heero growled at the annoying voice, as he searched for something to use as a lock pick.

The hall ways were bare save for the doors of the other rooms. Blue eyes darted around, then began to open half ajar room to see that they were all completely and utterly barren of anything. Then, as luck would have it, the janitor's closet was left open by some idiot. Smiling in smug satisfaction, Heero began to shift through the items. There were no paper clips, or anything else that he could use right off hand. He would have to fashion them. He remembered the ones that Duo had used himself during the war, little silver things that could easily slide and out of that long rope of hair without damaging the braid itself. Absent minded, Heero wondered what happened to those things as he broke off the wire baskets hanging from the cart.

He worked quickly to strip and expose the wires, smiling in triumph as they were ready. It took him the better part of five minutes to finally get the door unlocked, another smug smirk passing over his face when he heard the tumblers trip.

"*Don't do it.*"

That voice was louder now, but he'd come so far already, he might as well continue with the whole thing. Pushing the door open, Heero frowned to see that the room was completely empty and black. He was rather disappointed that he had done all of that with nothing here. Surely, with the way Duncan was acting and that scream, there had to have been someone at some point. Did he miss the Orderlies taking someone out when they passed him?

A small sniffle broke through his thought process, alerting him to the presence in the room. Pushing the door open wider, Heero felt his whole body freeze as if he'd been struck by lightening at the sight of Duo huddle in the corner, sobbing into his knees and arms, shaking in fear.

"Duo?" Heero whispered as he moved quickly to the figure, not even thinking what Duo's mental state could be right now, he took hold of the other's shoulders, recoiling when Duo began to scream like he was on fire.

Heero scrambled away, watching Duo curl more into himself and continue to sob, cry and scream. Shock kept the dark haired male in his place, watching the sorry sight before him. Even when he couldn't remember, and was blissfully unaware of what happened before, he was proud and didn't ever seem to cry about anything, now he was here, sobbing and rocking back and forth.

"Duo?" Heero called softly, making a move to get closer to the boy, only to stop when said boy recoiled from him.

"N-No... Please... Not the dark... Not again... Please. No more!" the last part came out as a screaming sob.

Heero watched him, his anger building with each plea from the young man. With that last plea, Heero was on his feet, bolting from the room.

"*Kill them... Kill all of them... Kill anyone that would dare hurt any of us!*"

He couldn't see. His vision was red, completely and utterly red. He was suffocating. Something was wrapping around his lungs, his chest. Cutting off his air supplies. His muscles burned, ached, he needed to stop running but he couldn't. Not yet.

"*What are you doing? Kill them all! Let no one remain! Burn them! Burn them all!*"

He stopped, finding himself before one of the land line phones on the cement walls, the red dimming from his vision as he stared at it.

"*Don't do it. Just kill them all. Just do it. Do it, soldier. They have to pay for the pain they've caused.*"

Shaking hands picked the phone off the cradle, staring at it. Trained ears picked up the steady tone of the phones connection before it suddenly cut out.

"Heero?"

He didn't move at first, his gaze still on the now silent phone, wondering what happened over the voice.

"*Stop it! Stop it right now! That's not what we need to do!*"

"Heero? Need to make a call?"

Blinking, his gaze turned to the nurse in the hall. He couldn't think over the voice's yelling, it was driving him crazy, he couldn't think straight.

"You know you need to turn in some stars for the phone privileges. Heero?"

He could barely understand what she was saying, the worst part was he couldn't keep what she looked like in his head. He couldn't recognize her, and he didn't care.

"*LEAVE THE PHONE! KILL THEM!*"

Heero flinched when the phone was taken from him and placed back onto the cradle. Red began to swim into his eyes again, his anger building more and more. He felt himself trembling, his chest constricting again as the nurse took a card and slipped it into the phone's base. His hands clenched as she pulled the card from the base, nails biting into his skin. Lunging forward, he shoved her aside, snatching the phone up and pressing it to his ear. His fingers moved deftly while he himself couldn't remember his own name.

"*STOP IT! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING? YOU'RE BLOWING THE WHOLE MISSION!*"

"Barton."

"*Stop it, Heero. Boy, stop it! Listen to me!*"

"Get us out of here. Now!" he heard a strained, dangerous voice growl.

"Where are you?" a concerned voice on the other line asked.

{Where am I? What am I doing here? What's my mission?}

"*Don't do this. The mission will be ruined!*"

"Third floor... It was the farthest I could get. Barton, get me and Duo out of here, now, or else I'll kill everyone in this fucking place."

"Heero? What's going on?" the voice asked, it sounded calm but concerned about him, he had a hard time remembering when the last time he heard such a tone.

"Get us out of here, Barton. You got half an hour or else I'm blowing this place sky high. This is your only warning."

The phone was back on the cradle, his muscles burning again. His stomach felt like there was a fifty foot hole inside it, sucking everything down into it. Consuming all rational thoughts from his mind, the red in his vision returning and all he could do was let it consume him whole.

"*Why did you do that? We could have taken this whole place out. We could have escaped from here, but you had to make a call. Why did you call them?*"

He didn't have an answer for that. He didn't know why he called that number when he could have easily killed everyone and just walked out with who he wanted. He could have made it a mission, he wanted to make it a mission. How he wanted to have a mission again, to feel that rush, that comfort.

"*But you blew it. You wrecked the whole mission. You're worthless. You're nothing. What are you going to do now? You brought this onto yourself! You thought you could get rid of me? You wanted to get rid of me? You can't get rid of me! I am you! You are me! Nothing is going to separate us. Nothing and no one. Do you hear me? You, you nameless little boy, are nothing without me. You are nothing without The Perfect Soldier.*"

{No. I am nothing like you. You are the one that is nothing without me. I have a name. My name is Heero, and you... You are nothing.}

"*Nothing, am I? I am not the one on the floor, shaking like a new born because a weak little slut got scared of the dark.*"

{Shut up!}

"*Just face it, you pathetic thing, he is as worthless as the rest of them!*"

{He's not worthless!}

"*He is and you know it! That is why you are so distracted by him! He's useless and you can't stand lusting after a useless-*"

{Stop it!}

"*Sniveling-*"

{Stop it!}

"*Slut!*"

"SHUT UP!" Heero roared.

"*You know I'm right. Get used to the idea.*"

Heero gasped, breathing quickly and unevenly. His vision fading from the red it had been in, finally he was able to see that he'd walked back to the hall where Duo's prison was. The door was closed now, he must have swung the door closed on his way out the first time. He was on the floor, his legs brought to his chest and his arms around his knees. He couldn't remember getting there, nor did he know how much time had passed since he hung up the phone. The Soldier was quiet now, must have talked himself into silence again. He didn't have that taunting voice in his ear anymore. His body was still tense, and ached all over.

He pressed his forehead to his knees, closing his eyes, trying to calm down but the Perfect soldier's words kept ringing in his ears, making his rage come forth again. He hated that voice, the one that taunted him, tried to force him to kill people, to hurt them. he didn't want to be like that. He wanted to be normal, someone his friends could be around without fear of being attacked. He wanted to be someone that could be a pillar, something someone like Duo could lean on when he needed it.

"Heero?"

He wanted to change. Be human. Why couldn't he be human like the others were? Even the ones that were the most trained were more human than he was. He didn't care what reasons Trowa gave, what he said, he wasn't human, and he wanted desperately to be human. He couldn't remember a time when he was human, or when feelings were something he could easily show. He couldn't remember anything other being cold, emotionless all the time.

"Heero? Heero!"

Why would nothing leave him alone? He lunged forward with a roar that scared even him, fully intent on killing the person shaking him and calling his name. He didn't even recognize the person's face as they scrambled away from him as fast as he was coming. He felt twin arms slide between his sides and arms, hooking under his armpits and pulling him away. A strong chest was pressed to his back, equally strong arms hooking just under his breast bone, holding him securely in place. He let out a deep breath he didn't notice he'd been holding before. The rest was a blur to him. He couldn't remember what happened after he was restrained, only that now he was face to face with someone.

The face. It was familiar. Naturally deeper toned skin, black eyes, and hair. He recognized it, but it held no name to him, no familiarity.

"Heero?" the face asked, the voice deep and steady.

"Wufei..." He heard himself say, his brain catching on quickly.

His name was Wufei Chang. He was a pilot, too. He was with the person he'd called, he had heard his voice on the other line. He felt... safe again. With this feeling, he closed his eyes, leaning back against the wall and relaxing, letting his muscles turned to liquid.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Mr. Winner, you do not understand that-"

"No! You don't understand! We sent him here for a reason, for a purpose. We sent him here to get better, and all you did was send him back into his own nightmare! This is what we didn't want for him, what we wanted to avoid and you forced him into it!" Quatra snapped before he took a deep, calming breath, forcing his rage down.

"But I brought the man back from his recluse. I brought your friend back."

"You forced a terrified, fragile man to relieve a horrible experience and turned him into a responsive, yes, but more terrified man!"

"He's responsive now, and I learned of the tortures he'd been put through in those five years he was a captive. Mercury poisoning explains some, if not most, of is symptoms, and I only learned of this after putting him in that room." Duncan said, his voice getting louder.

"I don't want to hear what you have to say anymore! You either discharge him, or I will sue this hospital for every single last cent that it holds in its funding!"

"Mr. Winner, be reasonable-"

"NOW!" the blond roared, making the man stumble back in alarm, his shocked gaze on the tiny blond then scurried away.

Quatra took another deep breath, long fingers running through his blond hair as he sat down, shaking in his rage. He kept his breathing even until the shaking stopped and he was able to sit up straight again. One more deep breath and the door was opened, Duncan returning and handing over the discharge papers for both of the pilots. Signing them, snatching up his own copy, Quatra stormed back to the hall where Heero and the others were.

Wufei was knelt beside Heero, who was asleep against the wall where he had been when Quatra left. Trowa was still in the room, talking calmly and evenly to the man inside until he came out of the room, Duo close behind him, head bowed and trembling.

"Duo." Quatra murmured, moving forward only to stop when he saw the startled man flinch and shy away from his advances.

Trowa gave Quatra a small shake of his head, showing the small blond that it wasn't a good idea yet. Duo stood where he was, trembling from fear, unsure of what to do. He wanted to run away, but he had nowhere to run to. It was all corrupted, unsafe. He had no choice, he had to stick with these guys, at least until he could stop shaking. As soon as he could understand where he was more, he would make sure that no one could hurt him again, no one could lock him in the dark anymore.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ardra: Wow... there were a lot of time warps in this one. I apologize for them, but they were fun to do. Enjoy! Until next time!


	11. Chapter 11

Welcome to the next chapter! Please enjoy!

"Speech"  
{Thoughts}  
"*Voice in their head*"

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 11

Trudging through the halls, the five boys walked slowly and carefully. Wufei, keeping close to Heero to make sure that he didn't do anything that they all would regret later, while keeping his pace slow and even. He didn't want to out flank the Japanese male, but he didn't want to let his guard down either. Despite what anyone else said, even the doctors, Heero was still unstable and could snap or let the Soldier take control at any moment. Trowa was holding Duo close to him, offering him protection and comfort as they walked since he was the only one that could get anywhere near the boy. Quatre was leading the way through the hospital, little glares from the blond promised certain death to anyone that would dare to try and stop them from leaving as Nurses rushed forward to redirect patients that were in the five's way. Duo was trying to put as much room between himself and Trowa as possible without the other acting like he was going to run away at every muscle twitch. He was extremely uncomfortable by the closeness that the other was showing him, and he couldn't seem to shake the other's grip. Heero was too out of it to really notice anything that was going on around him, or even care. He was still quelling the anger and frustration inside him at himself for calling the others when he had a chance to kill everyone in this facility himself.

Slowly raising his head, he watched a couple of the nurses that were always nice to him and helped him move closer to the wall to let them all pass. They were nice people, they weren't apart of Lareum's plan with Duo. They probably didn't know anything about it at all, but he wasn't so sure of that anymore. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. He knew that they were people that seemed to be willing to take care of him, but then again, it seemed like Lareum was the same way. Lareum always seemed willing to listen to what he had to say, and help him out, but in truth, the man was conspiring against all of them. For all Heero knew, that man could have been behind Duo's overdose last year, the one that was causing his seizures that throw him to and from mental statuses. He didn't know anymore. It was all so confusing now. Blue eyes winced at the assault of sunlight to his eyes, the rays glaring hard into his irises, making him groan a little as they tried to adjust to the sudden harshness of the light.

Outside, the blond heir had a large, black limo waiting to pick them up, the car that they had come in completely forgotten about through out the ride. It was uncomfortable to say the least as Duo was trying to keep as far away from all of them as possible, while they were trying to respect his wishes as well as try and keep close to him to offer support if he would need it. Quatra opened up another of his mansions for them, this one close to where Duo would need to go to do his physical therapy and his check ups for his heart. The five of them would be staying there for now, at least until one of them would get too tired of the living arrangement and would leave.

The Mansion was, actually, one of Quatra's smaller ones. There were three levels to it, in total. The very top of the stairs, the second floor, held the bathrooms and rooms as well as a rather small library. On the second floor had seven bedrooms, all of them were furnished the same way save for the Master Bedroom which was specially furnished and set up because that was the room that Quatra and Trowa used. The ground floor held the Living room to the left of the entrance way, the kitchen to the right and a set of stairs in front of a long hall way straight ahead from the door. The stairs lead to the second floor, and the hallway lead to the Ground floor Bathrooms, Training/Exercise room, the bigger Library, and a room that Quatra sometimes used as his office. The third level was under the house in the ground, which was where the men that stayed with Quatra from the Maguanac Corp. requested to stay so that they could be close to Quatra. Rashid was one of the many Maguanacs that lived under the house and took care of little things like repairs to the house and cars, or even driving Quatra to appointments when Trowa was working too late to take him. The third level looked like the ground and second floor moved down to be one level and then stuck under ground. There were no windows to the real outside, but they used special projection windows to show sunlight, grass and trees like they wanted during the day, and the same thing but in a night setting for when it was dark outside. The windows even had their own sunsets. It was one of the things that Rashid and his men invented for the hell of it and put to use.

Trowa lead Duo into the house, taking him to where his room would be upstairs. The thin male jerking at the slight indication towards the stairs, afraid of them, before he relaxed a little and allowed himself to be lead up them, but he was still jumpy at every stray sound, even the bedroom door being unlocked. His room was pretty close to the stairs, it was mostly there so he would have the ability to go downstairs and raid the kitchen when he wanted to. He was still underweight for his height and age, they wanted to be sure that he would gain some more weight. It wasn't a huge room so he wouldn't feel overwhelmed, but it wasn't a small room so he wouldn't feel trapped. A twin bed sat in the corner, covered in thick flannel sheets and comforter, the pillow wrapped in a white pillow case. Beside the bed, the bedside table had a large lamp on it and an alarm. The window blinds were left open, to make the room feel more open and warm, but also to show that there were no locks on the windows so he could open them if he wanted.

Violet eyes swept over the room, taking everything in. The open closet, the couple of dressers against the wall for clothes when he got them. There was a second door near the foot of the bed that lead to the bathroom attached to it. The walls were pristine white, and the carpet was a slight sandy color. The room was rather lonely looking, no one had ever slept in it, no one had ever really lived here. He was sure of that. It was better than the room he had been in before but it still felt like a prison to him. It was somewhere they would keep him, force him into when all he wanted was to be free. He knew, without a doubt, that he would never be free. He would never be free of his fear, his memories, or his longing for this freedom.

"*They don't want you here. This is a cage, too.*"

{I don't have anywhere else to go... I'm so alone now. I don't have anyone or anything going for me.} Duo thought to himself, feeling the sadness creep into his soul again.

"This is your room, Duo. You can do what ever you want with it." Trowa explained the him, looking down at him, worried when he saw the distant look on Duo's eyes before life snapped back into them again, then fear clouded them over.

The brunette had his head lowered, wringing his hands uncomfortably. His whole form was shaking as he struggled to keep from bolting. He didn't like the fact that there were locks on the door, or the fact that he had no idea where he was. He didn't trust this place, or even the guys anymore. Everything was too far gone and corrupted to trust anyone anymore.

"Duo? Are you all right?" Trowa asked, taking a step back in case that was the problem.

His breathing felt constricted, like there was something wrapping around his chest. He could hear the slight whistling of his breathing as it turned into wheezing. The edges of his vision started to turn black, panic was rising higher and higher into him before he let out a startled scream when Trowa touched his shoulder.

"Duo!" Trowa gasped in surprise before he was pushed aside by a suddenly more down to Earth Heero.

Small hands grabbed fistfuls of Chestnut colored hair as Duo curled into himself, rocking back and forth as his panic grew. His knees gave out and he was suddenly sitting on his knees, hyperventilating. Heero went down with him, keeping his face close to the other's, to show that he was there and would protect him. Despite this, unknown to Heero, he was making everything worse. All Duo wanted was to be left alone, to be allowed to be free, but Heero had a hold on him and was way too close. He felt trapped, cornered. He wanted to run so bad, but he couldn't get anywhere.

"Duo, it's ok." Heero murmured softly, reaching out and gently taking a hold of the other's thin wrists, pulling them away, "Duo, breathe. Breathe."

"We're not going to hurt you, Duo. Look. There's lights all over the place in the room, and the locks are on the inside, you control if they are locked or not."

Duo shook his head, his hyperventilating starting to become more controlled as he gulped down air, "N-No... I-I don't... I don't w-want to... be here. I don't want to be here!" Duo gasped out.

"Why not? We're here, Duo. We'll protect you." Heero said.

"You couldn't protect me before, why should I trust you now?" Duo growled, still gulping down air but the feeling that he was drowning or being smothered by an invisible force, threatening to consume him.

"Duo, we didn't know." Trowa explained, shame filling him at the sight of what their friend had become, how far he had fallen.

Trowa could still remember the laughing, joking face turned to him with almost sparkling eyes. He could still feel the emotion he felt at the sight of that face, that smile. He thought it was dislike, or distrust. He hadn't known at the time that it was actually jealousy. He remembered watching the way Duo used to joke with Quatra, or play video games with him, wishing that he could join them. How he wished he could sit down and make the blond smile like that. It wasn't long after he watched Duo and Quatra play video games together, that he made it his own mission to get the blond's attention on him and him alone. He was subconsciously taking out his jealous rage on Duo by making sure that Quatra could have no time with him. Even then, Duo seemed to always find the time and the place to play with the blond heir. Trowa wasn't always around, he admitted that, and that was when he would come back to the hideout to see Duo keeping the sofa between him and Wufei, Quatra curled on said sofa laughing as hard as his little lungs would allow.

Looking at Duo now. He wished he could see that laughing face again. He wished he would make Quatra laugh like he used to. He wished he would see the other bolting behind him for protection against an irate Chinese male that was going after him because he put honey, or lemon juice in the man's shampoo.

"What the hell did you think happened to me? You think I would just disappear like that? Me? I told you what I was going to do with my life, and none of that entailed just disappearing! You all wanted me gone! Admit it! You all were glad that I was gone! You never wanted me around, and you were happy that I had disappeared! That way you could live your own damn lives happily without me making you all miserable when all I wanted was for you guys to be my friends! You never liked me!" Duo yelled at him, snapping his thoughts back to the harsh, unforgiving reality that this was Duo now. This emotional, scared little man with his face turning red in anger.

"No!" Trowa snapped, "We didn't hate you! We never hated you! We looked for you after you disappeared, but we could never find you! We figured that you didn't want to be found!"

"I'm not fucking Heero! I don't disappear on a whim just because I can! I had things that I could've been doing! I needed your help and none of you were there for me! You left me there to rot for five years with them! You left me there and for all I know you could've known the whole time that I was there!"

"But we didn't know, Duo!" Heero plead with him, frowning at the comment about himself, "Please, Duo. We would never have let anything like that go one if we had kno-"

"Bullshit! The world's four greatest hackers couldn't find a little gutter rat like me after the war? Why do I not believe that?"

"Duo, it's true. We always thought about you, and you were all we ever wanted. You were one of us, and when you disappeared, it felt like there was something taken from us. Please, Duo, you have to believe us. We didn't know!" Quatra plead, his Space Heart screaming in pain and betrayal, "I swear, Duo, if we had known, we would have never let you stay there."

Shaking his head, he couldn't get the idea to stick. He didn't believe that they hadn't known about his suffering, his pain. Not when Quatra's Space Heart could feel everything else. How many times had he been in agonizing pain, yet the blond didn't feel any of that. The guy who apparently felt everything with that heart of his.

"*He didn't feel it because he was blocking you out. He didn't want you. He wanted you to disappear like all the others wanted. Your best friend didn't even want you.*" Shinigami hissed softly to him.

Sniffling, Duo lifted his head at Quatra, tears still streaming down his face. That had to be true, didn't it? The only reason Quatra wouldn't have been able to feel all the pain that he went through all those years was because he was blocking his emotions from his heart. He wanted him to go away. The thought attacked itself to his mind, and began to grow like a cancer. It infected his thoughts, his emotions and threatened to consume his actions. If it wasn't for the fear he had of the others, he would be running away right now. Running as far and as fast as he could. Where? Where would he be able to go? Who would take him in? He had nothing. He had no one.

"You need to rest, Duo. You'll be more clear headed when you wake." Trowa explained softly.

Chuckling bitterly, Duo shook his head, "No. I'm thinking more clear headed now than I have in a long time. I don't believe you, and I have no reason to want to, but you are right that I am tired. I'm going to bed."

Watching him go, Trowa couldn't help the forlorn sigh that escaped him when Duo closed the door and locked it tightly. He watched listened carefully as he heard the bathroom door open and a dresser being moved. Probably Duo using it to prop the door to the bathroom open. His trained ears could hear Duo's light but shuffling feet moving across the floor and to the window where he heard the sound of sliding, the window being forced open. Another few seconds, Duo probably enjoying the breeze and light before he heard springs creaking under a slight weight as Duo went to bed.

"Why doesn't he believe us?" Quatra asked softly, his hand pressing to his heart.

"I don't know, but we will learn it eventually and when we do, we'll work on fixing it. We can't do anything about it right now. Heero, you should go to bed, too. Do you need a pill before you go?"

Heero shook his head, sighing softly as he steadied himself a little, "I had some of them before you all took me out of there."

With that, he was lead to his own room by Wufei. Once his door was closed and locked as well, the Chinese male returned to the other two. They quietly made their way to the living room, taking up anything they could to sit on. Wufei threw himself onto the long couch facing the television set, his palms pressed to his face as he quelled the growing headache. Quatra curled himself into one of the arm chairs, pulling at his short hair and almost twirling it around his fingers as Trowa took the other arm chair and lounged in it.

"He doesn't trust us. He could attempt to run away." Wufei muttered softly.

"I thought of that. We'll have to take shifts sleeping until he trusts us again. We can't have him getting hurt by leaving because he doesn't trust us."

"Putting guards with him, even us, doesn't that show that we don't trust him?" Quatra asked softly.

"We don't have much of a choice."

"He would probably feel more at peace if we got the bastard who ordered this shit done to him." Wufei grumbled, his anger building as he remembered the man they had captured, the one that admitted to being Duo's jailer, and the mind behind all of Duo's torture.

"There's an organization that I have been looking into. They are fairly new compared to the other organizations in the works, but they're working their way into gaining strength. They first appeared a little under three years ago and they are already working their way into the senate. They seem to have Relena's attention pretty good, and if she sides with them, they might be able to gain and keep full power." Trowa said, running his fingers through his bangs.

"Which one?" Quatra asked, a frown now marring his own face.

"They called themselves Guardians. I haven't been able to find the name of their leader, but the people that are representatives for the group are all paid from the company. I haven't seen anything on campaigns, or asking for money."

His frown deepening, Quatra sat up in his chair, "I don't think so. They are pretty new, but there is no way that The Guardians are the ones that did this to Duo. They are a Pacifist group."

"Just because they claim to be Pacifists, doesn't mean that they act that way. Their ideals is for the colonies and Earth to each have their own Gundam, to make the other think twice about starting a war with them."

"What's wrong with that?" Wufei asked, looking over to the tall European male.

"Relena made a treaty that says that no one may make a Gundam. To want a movement like this would go against this Order, but they are pushing for it. They are trying hard to make a legislator that will veto Relena's bill in favor of making 'protection' suits. Suits that it is rumored that this faction is the only ones that still have a ore refinery."

"Trowa, it is just an idea, the refinery is just a rumor and it is highly doubtful that anyone would ever go for it." Quatra said, frowning.

"But what if they are making, or trying to make Gundanium in order to make the Gundams? That whole organization has a specific amount of funds that disappear once a month to nowhere. No paper trail, nothing. It just disappears." Trowa explained.

Small arms folded over an equally small chest as the blond tilted his head, "and how in the hell would you know of this, Trowa?"

A light blush crept over the green eyes male's face before he shifted rather uncomfortably, "I... hacked into their accounts and looked at them."

"You did what?"

A small scoff could be heard from Wufei as the Chinese man as he leaned into the couch that was behind him, folding his arms over his chest, "You're surprised, Winner? I wouldn't doubt if he did that for everyone that you would ever happen to pass by while in your line of work."

Bristling, aquamarine eyes turned accusingly at the taller Latin, who didn't say anything and was trying to be more focused on the floor rather than the radiating anger coming from his lover, "You better not have!"

He didn't say anything. He didn't have to as Quatra shot to his feet, little fists clenched at his sides, fighting back the horrible urge to hit the man before him.

"You did! You asshole, what the fuck gives you the fucking right to do something like that?"

"I was just-"

"Just what? Don't you dare say you were trying to protect me, because that is a load of bullshit! You and I both know that!"

"I was trying to protect you, Quatra! I don't trust these people, and for some off reason, you do!"

"I never said I trusted anyone! Let alone one of those fucking politicians! I can take care of myself, Trowa! I am not something fragile that you have to take care of! I am Twenty-fucking-three years old! I've been doing this shit for a long time, and before that, I was doing the exact same damn thing you were! I was fighting a war! I was killing people, too! I was doing all of this right along side you, so don't give me any of this shit like I can't protect myself, because I can!"

Trowa watched silently as the blond stormed out of the room, thudding footsteps disappearing down the hall and the loud crash of the bedroom door slamming shut. The place was silent for a split second before Duo's terrified screams broke it up, sending both the men scrambling from their seats and vaulting to the room they had just left. Times were going to be hard and rough, but it was something they all knew that they would have to do in order to get their little family back to the way that it used to be.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Across the country, a black car pulled up to a rather large, glass covered building. The building seemed to be sitting on a plaque the way the stairs rolled up to it, and then ended at a couple of pillars with writing worn away by time etched into it. From the inside of the building came men and women, all dressed in business wear, most of them sporting brief cases, or large computer bags that could double as briefcases. A couple people could be seen taking the stairs both up and down with papers held up in front of their faces as they read, showing that they either knew the route they were taking by heart, or the papers were extremely important.

The driver's side door swung open on the car, leaving itself open as the driver climbed out. The man had the slight roundness in his face of a teenager who has yet to loose all their baby fat, with an expression that would take decades to perfect placed on it. He wore a business suit in a dark navy color, the tie a solid color just like the rest of the suit, closely cut hair kept from spiking with a small bit of gel. Large hands grabbed the briefcase from the inside of the car. With that final item, the door was closed and the man began his trek up the large stone stairs to the building.

The inside was just as impressive as the outsides. A large fountain sat in the middle of the structure with a dual staircase starting at opposite ends of the fountain. The lobby was lined with plush looking furniture, and a large desk toward the front doors that was manned by a woman, also in a woman's version of the suit he was wearing, fielding phone calls, and looking up when someone entered. Seeing him, she nodded to him, not stopping her conversation over the phone while also typing something on the computer.

Taking the nod, he walked past the staircase, to a large, black pair of sliding elevator doors. He flicked out his wrist, making the cuff of his jacket ride up his arm, then pressed his thumb deliberately over the center of the button to call the elevator up. The button flashed green, a white-blue strip of light scanning over his thumb five times before the white light vanished and the green light remained. Pulling his hand back, he waited until the double doors slid open to let him in.

Stepping inside, he faced the doors, waiting until the doors were closed, he turned and faced the control board on the right hand side. At eye level, a little panel slid open, revealing a little round orb that was pushed out, and perched onto a metal rod. The ball released a stream of white light that went straight for the man's right eye and flattened into a small scanner that passed over his eye vertically then turned horizontally and passed over it again. The ball stayed suspended before a little green light flickered on the top of it, the ball retracting back into the panel that slid shut once again.

The elevator only went to two places, the lobby and then somewhere lower. After a long ride, it came to a halt and opened its doors and let its rider out into a dimly lit room. The room was a narrow walk way leading to where a large desk sat illuminated with only two electric torches on either side, the chair turned away from the elevator so only the back of it was visible. Sure steps took the man before the desk, the silence was almost deafening as he waited a few seconds to see if he would be acknowledged before he started in on his report. Not getting anything, he began.

"My Lord. I have the reports that you asked for. All of them."

The chair slightly shifting to the side let him know that the person in the chair was listening and waiting.

"I shall begin then. I took the liberty of checking on Agent 'S'. Even after a year, Preventers haven't released their hold on him, and he remains in their holding facilities. He has not given any more information to the Preventers since the attack from Heero Yuy." he began, setting down his briefcase and unlocking it and flipping it open.

"Agent 'S' is not my concern. I gave you a job to do for a reason, I do not want random tidbits that I do not need." a soft, almost mocking voice droned from behind the chair, which still hasn't turned around.

"My Lord." he said as if apologizing, removing papers from the case and setting them out to be easily gotten to.

"Continue, and do not waste my time again."

"Sir. Agent 'L' has failed in his mission, my Lord. Duo Maxwell has been removed from the mental facility and taken into the care of the other pilots."

"Hm. At least Yuy remains."

"No, My Lord. Heero Yuy has been removed from the facility as well."

Silence filled the room. The suited man began to feel nervous as the human only known as Lord fell silent, a sign that they was not at all happy.

"Continue."

Jerking in alarm, the man cleared his throat as he continued, "Our agent inside Preventers, and inside of the Winner Facilities are still within operation positions, and are ready for orders when ever the time is necessary."

"Is this all?"

"Yes, my Lord. Unless you have further orders for me."

"Hn. Dispose of 'L'. I want Duo Maxwell returned to me by the end of the month, is that clear?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"He still owes me information. I am not going to accept half payments."

Bowing his head, the man waited a full minute before packing his things, and leaving. Taking the new silence as a dismissal. He rode the elevator back up, eyes clouded with thought as he began to mull over how he was going to get Duo Maxwell back before the end of the month. He was barely paying attention as he walked out of the elevator and into the lobby when he was flagged down by the woman at the front desk.

"He sent this up for you." she said softly, her voice low as she handed him a small brown box.

Nodding, he took the box and left the building as quietly as he arrived. Once inside the car, he set his briefcase in the passenger seat, and opened the box. Inside, there was a disposable phone and a piece of paper wrapped in bubble wrap inside. Taking it up, he read the piece of paper, a phone number, which he input into the phone itself, and directions were on it. He pressed the phone to his ear, letting it ring three times before he hung the phone up and redialed the number again. He listened as the phone rang twice then hung it up once again. Dialing the number a third time, he heard one ring before the line was picked up.

"What?" a rather annoyed voice growled on the other line, the person's voice was deep and groggy, obviously being woken by the ringing phone.

"The attic no longer has any bats in it." the suit explained, leaning back into the seat, fingers running over the cover for the steering wheel.

"And this is my problem... how?" the voice growled in annoyance.

"The bugs have gotten bad."

"Call another exterminator." it grunted, the voice sounding dismissive.

"We want the bats back, and the bugs taken care of."

There was a long silence before, "... When?" was uttered from the other line.

"The bugs as soon as possible, the bats need to be back in the attic by the end of the month."

"Hn. Double."

"Regular."

"Triple."

"Double."

"Deal. The bugs will be gone soon. The bats will take some time."

"End of the month."

"Right."

The line went dead. Taking the phone from his ear, he laid it in his lap and began to drive. After driving for a few minutes, he rolled down his window, and tossed the phone from it, smiling a little as it shattered against the concrete.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ardra: Augh... So short... The next one will be longer. I promise!


	12. Chapter 12

Ardra: WOOT! New chapter! I'm on a ROLL!

Heero: You spent three months not updating. Putting up two chapters so close together does not qualify, in definition, as a 'roll'.

Ardra: ... Has anyone ever told you that you are such a buzz kill?

Duo: Yes!

Heero: Hn.

Ardra: Well, anyways. I'm still in a good mood today, and since I am, most of the time that means WRITING! *throws rainbow confetti into the air*

Heero and Duo: *sweat drop*

Ardra: Now! Down to business! *pops knuckles* OW! No one told me that hurts!

Duo: *snickers*

**Reviewer's Corner:**

I think the review Corner for the last couple of chapters accidentally got deleted when I was updating. I am so sorry everyone! Things like that tend to slip my mind and I just *right clicks and selects Select All then presses Delete* WAH! I EVEN DELETED THE ARGUMENT BETWEEN ME AND HEE-CHAN! *sobs* The Rare argument! ... *crickets chirping* ... Anyways, I'm sorry they got deleted, and I do hope that it wont make any of you guys leave me. *pets my Reviewers and Readers*

**CircleKV12**- I'm so glad that you are enjoying this! I do hope that you keep with us!

**Tyleet88**- I will, hun. You can count on that. I am not giving up on this fiction.

**Toraus**- Thank you very much!

**Serenity_Moon2**- Yeah, it is a little depressing in some points, but it will get better. It will take a while but it will get better!

**Dragon77**- Stay tuned! XD

**Black-Klepon**- He is very lucky, you are right. I shall update when ever it is possible.

**Cielshadow17**- I am glad you are enjoying this fiction so far. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

**Sylvertongue**- Ah, SylverTounge. You are always my longest, most questioning, and most review posting Reviewer I have so far. *presses finger to his lips* I am not going to reveal anything about coming chapters, so you'll just have to wait and read what's going to happen next. As for your occult comment, that made me laugh so hard. It was my intention, but I wasn't sure if anyone would really notice it. I was kind of going for the whole gangster/mob boss/lawyer-under-cover approach, but you are right and it was my intentions. The Lord has his hand in everything, and he something for everyone. He is all knowing, all seeing, and nothing gets passed him! *Bwahahaha-cough cough hack hack ahem* Hee... Anyways, as for my Mother, to me, she is a very special woman. She loves reading my stuff, but I am a little shy about it. Truthfully, if it wasn't for her nagging, and asking me, this fiction would not even be posted here. I am so shy that I am hardly able to submit a first chapter for a fan fiction because I am so scared that no one will like it. She helps me a lot.

All right! Now that we're all caught up! Let's get started on the next chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Yawning softly, fingers running through mused hair, Trowa stood before the counter, a silver spoon being turned slowly in the dark brown liquid in his cup. He watched the gentle stirring of the liquid as he made sure the sugar was completely melted into the black life giving liquid. It was a really slow morning. Day four of their 'shifts', and it didn't seem to be getting better since they had someone up when Duo was leaving his room and checking out the house twice in four days. It was a nerve-wracking experience. When Duo finally noticed them both times, the fear and the panic that took over his whole form as he bolted back to the safety of his room, was a saddening sight.

Duo seemed to be relaxing more now, but he didn't trust any of them, that fact was displayed every night. The first time they had dinner together, the four of them, Quatra's chef had served them the most perfectly prepared steaks, diced boiled potatoes and fresh greens, but Duo refused to touch any of it. Since then, he wouldn't touch anything that he hadn't seen made, or cut and portioned for all of again, Trowa picked up his cup and turned, not looking up as he made his cup swirl as he blew on it so he could take a sip. After sampling the best part of coffee, the first taste, he lifted his head, only to be startled by the sight of Duo before him.

Hissing in pain, Trowa turned as he placed the cup of now half full coffee onto the counter and grabbed a towel. He wrapped his scalded hand in it, then turned to the thin man in the doorway.

"Duo? What are you doing? What the hell were you thinking? Sneaking up on me?" Trowa demanded as he flicked his injured hand through the air to try and give it a little relief from the pain caused by the scolding liquid.

Lifting his head when he didn't receive a response, Trowa winced a little as he remembered how harsh his words had been. Duo didn't need that, especially not from him.

"Duo. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. You shocked me, that's all." Trowa explained, trying to keep from moving towards the man.

Duo flinched away from him, then side stepped around him, keeping his distance from the long banged male as if he was afraid that Trowa would physically attack him at any moment. Trowa bit his lip in anger, silently berating himself for his slip. He was trying really hard to keep his cool around Duo, even if he was really angry or overly tired. It wasn't fair to the already frail man that he would take even the slightest bit of his frustration out on him. After all that Duo had been through in his life, he didn't deserve even the slightest bit of anger from the likes of him. His heightened senses caught the sound of soft feet padding up the hall before Quatra rounded the corner.

"Trowa-Oh! Morning, Duo. I didn't know you were awake yet." Quatra said, giving the light brown-haired male a smile.

Glancing at him, he didn't respond to the greeting before he turned his gaze away, his eyes betraying the distrust and uncertainty he was feeling more than his own emotions did to Quatra's Space Heart.

Biting his lip, the blond shifted rather uncomfortably, "Your physical therapist will be here in a few hours to see you."

"You arranged for him to come here?" Trowa asked, retrieving his coffee from the counter.

"Of course." Quatra beamed as Trowa walked past him to the living room to catch the news.

A loud, metallic crash followed by a sharp, painful hiss made the blond turn back into the kitchen. Duo had attempted to heat a pan to cook a package of left over ground beef, and only managed to burn himself on the pan. Now the pan, and the ground beef, laid ruined at Duo's feet, the distraught and injured man falling to his knees to clean the mess.

"Duo! Are you okay?"

Duo flinched away when Quatra suddenly appeared beside him, producing paper towels to aid in the cleaning of the raw meat.

"What do you care?"

Blinking in shock, turqoise eyes raised to meet only bangs obscuring half lidded violet. Duo's head was half lowered into the mess, his body turned away from Quatra, all his muscles tense, ready to bolt. This was how it always was with Duo. He feared this was how it would always be now, that he would never be able to get as close to the man as he had once been, or even gain enough of his trust to sit beside him.

"Duo, I have always cared. You are like a brother to me."

"A brother, huh? A brother you can just forget about whenever you deem it necessary to?"

"What? No!"

"Don't even start with me! You blocked me and forgot about me for five years!"

"I didn't know you were taken, Duo!"

"You would have if you didn't just file me away! Fitting that the business man filed away a friend that needed him, huh?" Duo growled out, raising his head to glare at the blond before him.

"I made a mistake, Duo. You're going to keep throwing this in my face?"

"I will never forget what you did to me! I told myself for a very long time that you could sense my pain, my suffering. I clung to the hope that you felt me and would send the others to rescue me if you didn't come for me yourself. I spent two years, two goddamned years holding onto the hope that your ever-observant Space Heart would feel me. After two years... two years of beatings, poisons, starving and emotional breakdowns, I came to realize two things. One, that you were never coming for me, that you were blocking me and didn't want anything to do with me, and two, you never cared in the first place!"

"That's not-"

"You hated me as much as the others did! You wanted to forget about me, you wanted nothing to do with me at all! You, the bright and shining Winner heir didn't want a lowly little street urchin like me tarnishing your perfect world. A world where you got the man you want, where you got the company you wanted, the spot light that you wanted, everything you could ever pine for, and I didn't exist. You want me gone even now!" Duo yelled, tears streaming down his own face.

Quatra opened his mouth to protest but Duo was already on his feet and gone. Heavy footfalls thundered up the stairs and the bedroom door snapped sharply closed, rattling the picture frames on the walls, one even falling from the wall and shattering to the ground. Shaking, his chest hammering with his own emotions as well as the overwhelming sensation of Duo's, Quatra could just kneel where he was. His heart aching too badly to move or even breath.

"Little one? What happened? Quatra?"

The blond looked up, tears threatening to spill over as he fought them back. Trowa knelt down beside the tiny heir and strong arms wrapped around his slender frame, pulling him close and causing the blond to break down in his arms. Quatra sobbed hard as all of his pain and Duo's pain, as all of the suffering and distrust he'd been holding in for so long, finally came out in a shuddering, breath-hitching sob.

"Shh. It's okay, little one."

"No, it's not! You know it's not okay just as much as I do! I blocked him, like he said! He was right! I might as well have been the one to keep him there! I could've helped him sooner, and I didn't! I was too selfish to help him when he needed me!" Quatra sobbed into the hard chest his face was pressed into.

"You didn't know." Trowa crooned softly into the feathered blond hair.

"That's the point, Trowa! I could've helped him and I didn't because I chose to remain ignorant! Despite my promise to keep you guys close with me, I blocked him the instant he disappeared because I was too selfish to let myself feel him! I was afraid to feel him happy! Why should I be so afraid of that? He deserved to be happy and I selfishly blocked him because I thought he would've been happy without me!"

His arms tightened around the small blond, holding him closer to his chest as he cried. It seemed like hours before Quatra was able to settle down long enough for Trowa to let him go. The Winner heir rubbed at his face, making him look like a small child as he did so, trying to get the redness that came with crying to ease away, but it only succeeded in making it redder. Trowa left him to calm himself as he picked up the rest of the mess Duo had made by the stove.

"What's going on?"

Trowa turned his head to Wufei, the man still half buried in a towel from his morning regiment outside. His body clothed in a white tank top and an equally white pair of sweats that were clinging to his body with sweat. Quatra sniffled a little, still trying to recompose himself to no avail.

"Just... getting a little of Duo's temper." Trowa explained, keeping his voice lower than even his normal uninterested tone.

"He's still in a bad mood?" Wufei asked, sounding exasperated as he scrubbed his face of a patch of sweat.

"At the rate we're going, he's always going to be in a bad mood. It's one extreme to another with him. He's either extremely depressed, or he's extremely angry. There is no in between anymore with him." Quatra explained, his voice thick from crying, even hitching in a few places.

"Never seems happy either." Wufei grumbled, tossing his towel over his shoulders.

"That's because he isn't. Would you be happy in such a situation?" Trowa asked, looking at the Chinese man, as if daring him to say anything against his statement.

Wufei merely shrugged, his body twisting towards the stairs, and starting up them, intending for a shower. Quatra took two more calming breaths, raking his fingers through his hair once before he was able to feel as composed as he did before this whole affair. Lifting his head to level the best he could with Trowa, he let himself take the other in for a couple seconds. If he was honest with himself, he would say this was the first time he was seeing Trowa, truly seeing him, since they brought Duo home almost a month ago.

"Do you think I should cancel the therapy appoint-"

"Don't cancel anything of his without his consent. He's not an invalid."

Quatra tensed almost visibly at the sudden monotone growl from Heero as the messy haired man stalked past him, wearing the long forgotten tank top, and spandex shorts. Something Quatra hadn't seen on him since the end of the Second Eve War.

"But, Heero, he's all emotional right now. There's no way he's going to be able to get anything done in the state that he's in."

Dark blue locked with turquoise in a sudden battle of wills. Heero's glaring features not moving even for a second as he stared Quatra down until the blond backed down.

"This is part of the problem he has with us. Did you _ask_ him if you could have his therapists come over? Did you _ask_ him if you should cancel his appointments?"

"Every time we talk to him, we just get his anger and mistrust. There is no talking to him." Trowa muttered, leaning into the refrigerator with his right shoulder, his legs crossing at the ankles, and armed folding neatly over his chest.

"Hn. Then you aren't trying hard enough." he grunted, moving to the tea cabinet and pushing through some of the many selections that Quatra kept for them all.

"Have you been able to talk to him?" Quatra asked, his voice challenging and demanding.

Heero glared at him again, his eyes narrowing almost dangerously then turned back to the cabinet, "No."

"Then why are you talking to us like we're idiots because we haven't talked to him when you haven't talked to him either?" Quatra demanded.

"I haven't talked to him because I choose not to, not because I can't." Heero said, his tone dismissive and uninterested.

"Well, here's the pot calling the fucking kettle black. Mr. Perfect chooses not to talk to our suffering friend but thinks he knows exactly how to talk to him." Quatra growled, the color of his eyes darkening.

"You don't listen to him." Heero shot back, glaring again.

"The fuck I-"

"Shut the fuck up and listen!" Heero growled, shocking the agitated blond into silence, "You're so caught up with all of your own thoughts, and words that you aren't listening. Listen!"

Confused, Quatra let his mouth close and he listened to the silence for a bit. About to demand what Heero was talking about, he senses picked up a faint thudding noise. It wasn't the thudding noise of something falling, or someone walking. It was a thudding he'd heard before, but he couldn't place where. He closed his eyes, listening to the thudding as it pounded rhythmically from somewhere. The feeling of Déjà Vu swept over the blond as he tried to remember where he'd heard this before. Images of a safe house in the country entered his mind. He remembered being curled up on the couch with a book, a title he couldn't remember, and the rhythmic thudding over his head, lyrics wafting down to his ears of a old metal band long since passed with the creation of the colonies.

Realization of what the noise was hit Quatra like a ton of bricks. His brow furrowed and he lowered his head to Heero, who was quiet as he was, a look of concentration on his face.

"Disturbed. Indestructible Album. The Night." Heero rattled off before he opened his eyes, showing a sort of softness in them that wasn't there before, "He's upset, angry at something but he doesn't know what to do about it. He feels like he's lost in darkness and can't find his light anywhere, if he even still has a light."

Quatra's gaze flicked to Trowa, who looked confused where he was. Green eyes lifted to the ceiling, listening to the thudding himself, leaving Quatra to handle this alone.

"How did you-"

"While at the institute, Duo was extremely hard to read. His mood. His thoughts. What age he was for that day, or what he would think of me. Every day, I would find him in one corner, either talking to himself, or coloring if he was able to convince someone to give him paper and a crayon. Then, one day, I went to visit him and I could hear him singing from the hallway outside of the ward. The nurses left the PDA on and turned the radio on to listen to in the Nurse's Station. Duo, subconsciously, recognized the song playing and was singing along. Since that day, I would find him at the window, singing a song. Depending on what song he was singing, it would tell me what mood he was in, what was going on with him, and who he thought he was today. It's no different now that he's got the computer and is looking up the actual songs."

"You gave him your laptop?" Trowa asked, floored as Heero nodded.

"I gave him my new one. I'm using my old one now."

"You have him your laptop?" Trowa repeated, sounding utterly flabbergasted by even the thought.

"How do you know this song, and what it means to Duo?" Quatra asked, ignoring Trowa.

"I looked them up, listened to them being sung by the original singers, and looked up the lyrics. The lyrics say a lot when someone is having trouble finding the words themselves. Duo knew that before any of us did and utilized it long before this. He used to do it during the Wars, too, but none of us noticed before. This isn't a new practice for him, you just have to know what these songs mean to him."

"What songs are they?" Quatra suddenly demanded, a new fire in his eyes at the thought that maybe he could get closer to Duo through his music.

Heero shrugged, "They're all old songs. Before Colony songs. Mostly of Disturbed, Korn, Aerosmith, Nickleback and bands like that. He has one from Breaking Benjamin that he loves, another by Simon and Garfunkel he uses when he's on the verge of a break down. There's a lot of them, and they aren't just individual songs. Sometimes, he just picks a song randomly from an album that fits his mood. It's not the case here, but sometimes he does."

"You have had longer to look into this than we have. You have to help us with him and with what to do."

"I don't have to do anything. You are being too self-centered to figure it out yourself. Listen to the lyrics at his door, type them into any search engine and look up the songs for yourself. I'm not helping you." Heero grunted as he turned for the front door.

"Why not?" Quatra demanded, his anger rising yet again.

"Because I refuse to lose him again. I had to work to get to know him, and so do you."

"This is not a fucking game, Heero. We need this information if we're going to be able to deal with-"

"Deal with what? With him? There is nothing to deal with, Quatra. He's scared and hurt, not violent. You have to get closer to him in your own way. If you get closer to him my way, then it would appear fake to him and he won't trust you no matter what you did. He's not stupid.

With that final word, Heero walked out the front door and into the yard to do his morning run. Sighing in defeat, Quatra pressed his fingers through his hair. Lifting his head again, he heard the song change in another one, the base pounding against the walls of the room and traveling down into the kitchen where it became a dull thudding noise to all of them. He had to get through to Duo his own way. Some how.

"He gave him his laptop..." Trowa mused behind him, the amazement still in his voice.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Duo's door creaked open slowly, the music stopped a few minutes ago, and silence greeting the house once more. Glancing around, he deemed himself completely alone at last and started down the stairs to get to the kitchen.

"Living just isn't hard enough. Burn me alive inside..." Duo sang softly to himself as he descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen, "Living my life is not hard enough. They take everything from you... Living just isn't hard enough. Burn me alive inside... Living my life is not hard enough... Take everything away..."

Glancing around the kitchen, he made sure there was no one with him as he hummed the guitar solo to himself. It calmed him to sing like this. He couldn't relax around the others, or even alone in his room. If he didn't have music playing or was humming to himself, he was a nervous wreck. It took him days of no sleeping to realize that was what he needed. Secretly, he owed a lot to Heero for giving him his laptop when he did. He had been close to letting the darkness claim him when Heero knocked on his door, saying he had something for him and that he was leaving it at the door for him to take. He had been really surprised to see Heero's prized laptop at his door, and thought it was a trick at first, but when Heero didn't return to reclaim it, he snatched it up before he could have second thoughts.

That laptop saved his life in more ways than one. It helped him sleep, and it kept him somewhat sane as he found these little sites where he could just escape his life for a little bit. These little RPGs that he had once played during the war for shits and giggles. Now he was playing them to keep his sanity. He didn't know what he would do without them.

Pushing aside items that he didn't want to eat, he settled on making himself a small sandwich to eat. He worked quickly building his little sandwich before he put everything back and leaned against the counter, allowing himself to relax as he ate his new little creation. He'd almost forgotten about the others in the house, and he would've been completely and utterly relaxed for the first time in months if it wasn't for the doorbell going off. Quatra tore downstairs like a bull in a China shop to throw the door open to the visitor on the other side.

"Duo! Your therapist is here!" Quatra called, obviously thinking that Duo was still upstairs or something.

Duo ignored him in favor of finishing his sandwich, but that didn't last long as Quatra spotted him in his trek to head back upstairs.

"Oh, there you are, Duo." he said, his voice covered in fake sweetness, it made Duo want to gag but he didn't.

Instead, he focused on his last two bites then marched past the blond heir into the living room where his therapist was waiting for him to start their session.

His physical therapist was more for his heart than anything else, but with past problems came with present situations that needed tending to. No matter what Duo did, he couldn't get himself checked off by this man in order to say that he didn't have to see him anymore. He would love nothing more than to be able to keep himself from being poked and prodded at by anyone.

"Good afternoon, Duo." the man greeted, intending it to be a good-natured gesture, but Duo wasn't biting at the bit.

He didn't trust this man anymore than he did the other pilots. He wasn't the kind of man that looked like he was up to something. To Duo, he seemed sort of normal with his short black hair, hazel eyes, tan skin all pressed into normal wear clothes that he always wore for the therapy sessions, even when he was at his office. One would say he was kindly looking man, but it didn't make Duo let his guard for him anymore than he did with the other pilots.

"I see we're in a foul mood today." the man chuckled as he went into his bag, retrieving what he would need first.

Despite the lack of a response from Duo, his therapist, John, continued to talk. Explaining what they were going to be doing as he handed Duo a tab that he was suppose to hold over one eye while using the other to read the chart that was being held before him. Duo did as he was told, pressing it to his left eye and using his right eye to look at the chart. The numbers were fuzzy and blurred in some spots, the ones on the outside were completely illegible to him and he wasn't suppose to move his eye from one fixed spot while he did this.

"Okay, Duo. What's the middle letter of the second line?"

Duo swallowed as he stared at his spot, a little dog drawn in the center of it. He could barely make out the letters in the second row, let alone one specific letter. It was all meshing together into one giant blob monster to him.

"... P?" he asked, noticing how it seemed to come down a little from the top, hoping he was right.

"And the last letter of the middle row?" he asked.

Duo silently swore to himself. Only two letters today, which means his first letter was wrong, "D." he rattled off, his point of focus close enough to see the D for what it was.

"Okay, left eye." the Therapist said, switching the chart for the other eye.

Duo hated to admit it but that was actually his good eye. His left, alone, couldn't make out certain shapes, or letters, on its own and needed assistance from his right. Pressing the tab to his right eye, he bit his lip as he was put into a world of just colored blurs and lights.

"Can you see this chart?" John asked, holding the chart on the edge of his knee.

"Barely." Duo grumbled, fingertips digging into the cloth of his pants.

"Can you see any letters on it?"

"I can somewhat make out black blobs against the white. It just looks like the paper has holes in it."

"Well, at least you can see them this time. " he chuckled good-naturedly, setting the chart aside.

Duo wasn't amused in the least bit as he handed back the tab. He tensed when his therapist slid forward, closer to him.

"Let's see your right hand." He said, holding out his own hand to take Duo's.

Duo hesitated for a few minutes, using the needed hand to brush his ear length hair behind his ear. He hated having short hair. He wanted his long hair back, he wanted his braid back. This short hair got in the way something fierce. It was distracting, and no matter what he did, it always seemed greasy and dirty. Pushing the thoughts of his hair aside before he became depressed again, he shifted himself closer to John and gave him the needed hand.

He watched tensely as John worked his fingertips gently over scars that dotted along the back of his hand and wrist from the surgical repairs on his bones. About five little metal rods in each hand replaced some major bones in his hand. Phalanges, he thought that the bones that needed replaced were called, but he could never remember little things like that. Names of bones were never his specialty, the only one he could ever remember was the Femur in the thigh, and that was only because he remembered Heero either breaking or fracturing it during his little swan dive attempt from the hospital when Duo first rescued him. He only remembered the bone's name because it sounded funny when he heard someone squawking about it.

A sharp hiss came from him as he pulled his hand away from the offending man. He'd pressed a little too hard on the joint of his middle finger. His joints were the one thing they couldn't surgically repair, and would have to heal on their own. It was a long and painful process, made even longer since he had a horrible habit of popping his knuckles before doing shit with his hands. He learned real fast not to do that.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to press on that. I slipped." John offered, holding his hands up in surrender then fished the clipboard out of his large, never ending bag and scribbled something down, "You seem tired."

"I am." Duo said quickly, flexing his hand to get the joint to circulate blood again to ease the pain, also to distract himself from the fact that he could feel that feeling in the back of his head again.

"Too tired for your exercises?" John asked, glancing at the longer haired man.

Silently, Duo did a mental check of his body. How tight his muscles were, how heavy his bones felt. Especially that little feeling he was getting, the kind that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on ends.

"Yes."

John sighed as he scribbled yet again, then leaned closer to him, making Duo scoot away.

"Look, Duo, I don't have the right machine here, but I can tell by your complexion, the muscles around your heart are weakening because you haven't been doing your daily exercises. If you keep on like this, your heart's either going to fail, or else your body's going to start to reject it. You have been taking your anti-rejection pills, yes?"

"Everyday."

"Duo, I'm not going to tell you this is something you're going to do, because that will just push you into not doing them at all. These are things you really have to do. Those pills only do so much for your heart, and the rest is up to you. You have to work those muscles in order for your body to recognize it for what it is and keeps its hold on it. You have to do exercises."

"Right. Do my exercises. Can we end here today?" Duo asked, allowing his tiredness to show in his voice.

Seeing he wasn't going to win, John nodded and began to pack up. Once he left the house, Duo ascended the stairs to his room and closed the door behind him. Around the corner of the kitchen, Heero stepped into the main hallway and lifted his gaze up to the stairs where he could barely make out Duo's door at the top.

The therapist's words drifting into his head, plaguing him with the images of Duo letting his body start to reject the heart he was given. Maybe Duo had finally given up and this was his way of slowly committing suicide. His ears picked up the sound of music playing again from the confines of the room, the base ringing off the walls. His mission demanded he find some way to help Duo through all of this. First, he needed to try and find a way to get Duo to trust him enough to talk to him and be around him.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A firm knock on the door made Duo shift in his sleep. Blearily, his eyes were assaulted by the darkness in the room, and the glaring light from the screen saver of the laptop; pipes snaking their way across the screen only to disperse and make a whole new path of pipes. Another knocked forced him out of the safe recluse of his blankets and to the door, opening it slightly to see Heero standing on the other side, an unreadable look on his face.

"What?" Duo grumbled tiredly, rubbing his good eye to try and clear the fog that was caused by sleep.

"I wanted to make something." Heero said, shifting as if uncomfortable in front of him.

"Congratulations... What do you want; a prize?" Duo grumbled sourly, letting his look slip into a glare.

"I was hoping you would help me with it. You were always good at cooking."

"Says the guy who never let me cook in the first place. You always claimed I would blow up the house."

Heero winced before he lowered his gaze, swallowing thickly, "Well, that was then. This is now, and I want you to help me cook these."

"Why should I?"

"They're chocolate chip pancakes?" Heero offered, looking up when Duo didn't respond right away.

Duo was looking at him skeptically before he tilted his head away from Heero, looking at him with just his right eye, "What are you playing at?"

"Playing?" Heero asked, genuinely confused.

"Playing at; what's your game? What are you trying to accomplish here? What's your motive?" Duo explained, rolling his eyes.

Heero shook his head; arms folding over his chest much like a petulant child, "I'm not 'playing at' anything. I just want to make these pancakes, I remembered they were your favorite and I wanted to see if you wanted to help me make them. Forget it, I'll asked Quatra." Heero grumbled as he turned towards the stairs.

"W-wait."

Heero stopped in mid step, foot hovering over the top stair as he looked back at the unsure looking man at the door.

"No funny shit, okay? Just making pancakes?"

Heero nodded, "Just making pancakes." he agreed.

"All right. Let me get dressed and I'll be down in a few minutes."

Heero smiled to himself as he watched Duo slip back into his room and disappear. So far, his plan was coming together perfectly.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"That doesn't go there."

"Yes it does, it says so right here."

"Don't touch the screen!"

"We can clean it."

"Don't... touch... the... screen..."

"Fine. It says there, three eggs and a half cup of butter milk."

"That's for half the serving size we're doing. Everything's doubled, damn it."

"... Oh."

"Make sure the blender's on low when you turn it on."

"How do I do th-"

"Ah! Turn it off! Turn it off!"

"How the fuck did I turn it on?"

"Pull the plug! Kill the power! Shit! It's fucking everywhere!"

In the living room, Trowa and Quatra glanced at each other before moving to the kitchen to see what the commotion was about. The kitchen was covered in pancake batter. The walls had it sliding from the top, the ceiling had globs dripping from it, and the cabinets had it sticking to them and there was the two men that had been standing mere inches from the point of origin that were now covered in batter.

"Damn it. There's egg in my hair." Heero grumbled, pushing his now batter heavy hair from his face.

"Fuck your hair, there's batter on the laptop!" A batter covered Duo whined, grabbing paper towels to try and clean the machine off.

Trowa snorted at the switch in situation. He remembered a time where it would've been Duo bitching about his hair, and Heero the laptop. Heero turned towards the snort, his foot landing on a patch of batter and he slid on it. Starting to fall, his hand flew out to break it only to be caught by Duo's hand and pulled back up right before either of them had time to even think about what they were doing. Blinking, Duo released his hand quickly and snatched up his laptop as if he was afraid it would disappear and he didn't have a hold of it. Without a word, Duo ran from the kitchen and up to his room.

"What? You're not leaving me to clean all this by myself!" Heero called after him.

"You made the mess!" Duo called, the bedroom door snapping closed behind him.

Cursing, Heero looked down at the mess. He was so close to getting Duo to relax, and he had to go and blow it.

"What was that all about?" Trowa asked, moving to the cabinet and retrieving wash cloths.

"I was trying to get Duo to relax with me by having him help make pancakes, his favorites, but I royally messed the whole thing up." Heero grumbled, taking an offered towel from Trowa.

Trowa grunted as he moved about, cleaning batter off the ceiling since he was the tallest, Quatra tackled what he could on the walls and Heero did the cabinet and counters.

"Maybe we shouldn't try and get him to relax like this. Maybe we just need to find something he can latch onto then he's scared and can't make it to his room. Like a security blanket." Quatra said, wiping his brow with his wrist.

"You want us to give Duo a blanket?" Heero asked, frowning at the blond.

"Not a blanket. Just find something that he can take with him so he can relax around us."

"It's not going to work. He already has the laptop, so if he's still not comfortable around us with it then that means that he's not going to be comfortable with anything else." Heero said, glaring at a particularly rough patch of batter.

Giving up, the three fell silent as they worked until the kitchen was completely cleaned up. Heero trying his hand at the pancakes again, making some and putting them in the refrigerator in case Duo came down and wanted some for later. Unwilling to let his mission be labeled a failure, Heero went upstairs and locked himself in his room to try and come up with a whole new plan of action.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing save for a few OCs and maybe the plot.

So, I've been working hard, as always, both in the real world and in the fan fiction world. I'm sorry that this has taken so long, but here's a new chapter for you guys!

**Reviewer's Corner:**

There were no new reviews as of yet, so there's no one to answer questions or just make anyone feel special. XD

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Atop of the stairs, Duo's bedroom door creaked open a little bit, just enough for violet eyes to peek out and scan the area of the Hallway. He swallowed thickly until he was sure that no one was going to come down the halls any time soon. He pushed the door opened wider and slipped his body through the opening, feeling unusually on edge today. He couldn't stand feeling like this but being around the others was so taxing on his nerves sometimes that he couldn't help it. He knew he wasn't treating the others fairly when it came to being alone, or even around them, but he had spent so long in a small place, alone, being beaten on by the only people to come visit him has made him extremely nervous on the other's intentions. Glancing around once more, he started his descent of the stairs, his sense put on edge to alert him of anyone coming or going so he wouldn't be startled.

It didn't help matters that he wasn't sure of the other's intentions when it came to him. He was positive they left him to rot all those five years because they didn't want him around, but the more the others denied it, the more he wondered if maybe he was being irrational. He knew his disappearance was sudden, but after all he said at that party and how Shinigami made him act back during the war, maybe the others truly did believe that he just disappear to explore himself on his own. Every time he was close to believing this-

_"Quatra's Space Heart should have alerted them right away to the fact that something was off. We know better that he would never let any of us go that long without opening his little gift up to feel for us at some point in those five years."_ Shinigami hissed in his ear, making him shiver and the hair on the back of his neck stand on ends like it always did.

_'I know this and you know this. Maybe he just made a mistake. Quatra's human like the rest of us. It could've just been a mistake.'_ Duo thought to the voice, walling up his defenses to be sure that Shinigami wouldn't be gaining control right now.

_"Human or not, it's still curiosity. It's animal nature to be curious about things, and he would've been curious at one point in time. He would've reached out for you at least once and there was never an instance where we weren't in pain, scared, hungry, alone, or miserable. He would've felt that but he didn't. How do you explain that?"_ Shinigami grumbled, annoyed that Duo was blocking his advances to get free as they stepped onto the ground floor and made for the kitchen.

_'I don't know. Please, I don't want to think about this right now. The others mean well, I am sure of it.'_ Duo thought, feeling his heart thundering a little at Shinigami's words.

Shinigami fell silent just as Heero stepped around the corner of the kitchen, effectively startling the already on edge young man.

"Heero!" Duo gasped, clutching his already strained heart.

"Duo. I didn't mean to startle you. I thought I heard someone coming downstairs."

"Y-yeah, that would be me. C-can I get pass?" Duo asked, mentally scolding himself for stuttering in front of Heero, or for even stuttering at all.

"Um, sure. Listen, Duo, can we, maybe, do something together sometime where we can, I don't know... be like how we used to be?" Heero asked, looking uncomfortable, his voice betraying the strain it was taking for him to be able to voice this question to the other.

_"Aw, he wants to be able to make you feel inferior again. Remember, we're a Baka. An idiot!"_ Shinigami growled, pushing against Duo's barriers hard.

"How we used to be? How did we used to be, Heero? Me trying to be your friend and you acting like a complete ass to me?" Duo asked, frowning a little, feeling that familiar feeling of anger building up in his system again.

Heero stared at him before he swallowed hard, "Iie, not like that. Like towards the end of the war. When we were actually friends. We never got a chance to... act like friends."

"I wonder why? Heero, I'm not even sure we can be classified as friends. You don't know anything about me, and I don't know anything about you, so why don't you just do the both of us a favor and just leave me alone?" Duo growled, rubbing the spot on his chest over his heart as it started to feel tight.

"Hey, what's going on?" came Quatra's voice, and much to Duo's dismay, Quatra and Trowa both came around the stairs from the living room, boxing him in against the stairs along with Heero blocking his escape to the kitchen.

"We were just talking." Heero grumbled, arms folding over his chest agitatedly, feeling at a loss since he was running out of reasons or ideas how to get Duo to be more open to him, maybe even be his friend again.

"Doesn't feel like it. Feels like you were talking and Duo was being defensive." Quatra said, smiling, trying to lighten to the mood but it was only making the tension grow thicker.

_"Listen to him, talking as if you didn't exist. He doesn't want you here anymore than the others do. He wants you dead."_ Shinigami hissed softly.

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here! I can be what ever I want, just leave me alone." Duo growled, turning to go back up the stairs but froze as Wufei was half way down them, a empty glass in his hand, black hair loose from its ponytail and looking at all of them in confusion.

"What's going on?"

Duo swallowed thickly, his panic bubbling in his chest as Quatra explained to the newest obstacle to the chestnut haired male's escape what had happened before he came down the stairs. He felt like a caged animal as Quatra explained what was going on how he knew it to be, Heero getting defensive and correcting him when he was wrong.

_"They're plotting against you, you know. They are going to dump you somewhere and forget about you the first chance they get. They don't want you around, remember?"_

Duo could feel all their eyes on him, like thousands of little pin pricks on his back and skin. The walls were closing in on him, his breathing was becoming harder and harder. His chest tightened even more, making him instinctively clutch it, sweat beaded from every pore of his being, sending a chill down his spine. He needed to escape. He needed to get out of this hole they had placed him in. His vision was dimming as his breathing became shallow and harsh.

_"You know I'm right. They're either going to kill you or make you disappear the first chance that they get. You are never going to be safe here. The Soldier is going to kill you. The Dragon is going to eat you. The Zero one is going to hide your existence from the world and Nanashi's going to help him. It's going to be like you never existed. You're going to disappear. Like a tear in the ocean, you're going to disappear."_

"Duo? Duo, what's wrong?" Heero asked, moving to the other's trembling, wheezing form.

Duo whipped around like someone shot at him, eyes wild and skin the color of sour milk, "Don't touch me!" he screamed, his legs powering him before his brain even had time to process what he was doing.

He shoved past the lot of them, Trowa turning and catching Quatra as the blond suddenly became weak kneed and started to sink to the ground. Heero, stunned, could only watch as Duo threw the front door of the house open and bolted from the opening into the open air. Into the world that he was afraid of.

"Maxwell!"

"Duo!"

Heero powered his legs after the slender form, Wufei hot on his heels.

Trowa knelt to the ground, pulling Quatra slowly with him as he leaned the sweating, panting young man against him, supporting him as his Space Heart sent him through Duo's panic attack.

"Breath, little one. Try and close it off for now." Trowa coaxed the other with a soft voice, his hands rubbing soothing circles over the other's tiny back.

Quatra took two more gasping breaths then started to take deep, calming breaths. Turquoise eyes slipped closed in concentration until his Space Heart couldn't feel Duo's reactions as bad as they had been before. He'd been leaving his Heart completely open to the others for a while now. Mostly because Heero and Wufei were hard to read sometimes, and Trowa wasn't being as open with his emotions as he had been before all of this. It was rather taxing on the blond because he couldn't narrow his space heart on Duo's emotions because Duo was like the others on normal instances, hard to read and barely giving anything away, then he would have an overload of emotions flood through him, be it fear, anger, shame, sadness or panic that would send the blond reeling as if he'd been sucker punched.

"You all right now?" Trowa asked softly, pressing his chin into the other's short locks, taking in the flowery scent from Quatra's shampoo.

Nodding, the Arab turned his attention to the taller Latin, "You have to go after him, Trowa."

"What about you?" Trowa asked, moving his position to be crouched down on his hunches, his hands moving under Quatra's knees and against his back, lifting him from the ground.

"I'll be fine. I haven't had anything happen because of these attacks yet. He needs someone stable when he's found Trowa. As much as I would love for that to be Heero, the fact of the matter is that Heero is just as emotionally unstable as Duo most of the time. He needs help." Quatra muttered, leaning his head against the other's broad chest.

Trowa sighed as he gently lowered Quatra into the sofa, laying him out then sitting at his hip to look down at him, "Duo can't keep doing this. It's not safe for him, or you."

"I will be fine, Trowa. Duo needs this more than I do. I have reasons to live and continue on, he believes that he doesn't. His panic attacks are becoming more and more frequent, and I don't know what to do for him anymore. I'm not the best person because he feels the most betrayed by me, but you're still an unknown to him, Trowa. You weren't anything to him before, I'm sorry to say this, but that's a good thing because he doesn't feel like you betrayed him like he believes Heero and I did. Please, Trowa. Find him and make him feel better."

Trowa searched the other's eyes and nodded, "All right, little one. I'll see what I can do for him." he promised softly, leaning forward and kissing the cold flesh of the other's forehead.

"Thank you, Trowa." Quatra murmured softly, his voice thick as he felt more tired as the adrenaline was starting to wear down in his system.

"Sleep a bit, little one, and I promise that I wont come back without him."

Quatra smiled tiredly at him, "I know you wont. I'll only sleep for a little."

"Doesn't matter." Trowa muttered, referring to the other's time set on his sleeping as he stood and left the house after the others.

Quatra watched him go then leaned back into the couch, pressing his hand to his forehead to quell the growing headache there.

_"You know what this is. You could loose Trowa to that little whore."_

Quatra gasped, bolting up right, looking around wildly before he swallowed, finally recognizing the voice that had spoken to him. It was his personality brought on by his contact with the Zero system. A horrible, mean person that loved nothing more than to see the suffering, even the death of others.

"What are you doing here?"

_"I have always been here. You've just never needed me before, but now you do. Let me go for a few minutes, and I can make sure that whore never touches what's ours."_ Zero hissed softly, his voice low and menacing, Quatra could almost feel the feral smile on the other's face.

"No. I wont let you hurt Duo. He doesn't mean anything to Trowa, and he needs help. He's not a threat to me, or my relationship with Trowa. Duo, even though he doesn't remember, loves Heero. He's not going to take Trowa from me."

_"You really think so? Wow, you're even more naive than I even remember."_ Zero snickered at him.

"I believe it because it's true. Duo's not a whore and never will be. He's scared and needs something to comfort him like Heero said, and if that has to be Trowa, that's who it's going to be. Besides, I trust Trowa. More than you will ever know."

_"Ah, but I do know. I am you, remember? You might trust Trowa to an extent, but you, like all animals, are always on edge of loosing of what we hold dear in our lives. Our mates."_

"No. You're wrong. I trust Trowa completely and utterly. I am not an animal."

_"We're all animals. Ever single last one of us is an animal, we're just evolved is all. You'll see."_

Quatra swallowed thickly and leaned back into the couch, pulling his legs to himself and hugging them close. He pressed his forehead to his knees, concentrating and erecting the walls he had once placed around Zero to keep him quelled before. He didn't think he would have to cage part of himself again, but with Zero reappearing came new problems for the small blond. Now, he had to deal with Heero, Heero's Split-Personality problem, Duo, Duo's medical problems, and Duo's emotional problems on top of making sure Zero never did anything to harm any of the others.

Quatra felt tears sliding down his face, his breathing hitching as he started to sob into his pants. The stress of everything pushing down onto him, the strain making his muscles tense. He didn't know what all he could do to help anymore.

Trowa approached the two men that were bent over on the side walk, both breathing hard.

"Where'd he go?" Trowa asked them both, frowning when both Asian men shook their heads.

"We... lost... sight of... him..." Wufei panted, "Idiot... can still... run..."

Trowa grunted softly before he started down the road, leaving the two where they were. He let his legs power him into a light jog down the line of buildings. When he felt like he couldn't run any further, he spotted a small, white Penlight on the ground. He bent down, picking it up before he rolled it between his fingers. It was the same pen light that he remembered the therapist giving Duo one day. It was something Duo obviously never left with. He pressed down on the button that turned the light on, watching as the light came on then faded away. Dead.

Trowa lifted his head, looking around before he looked down at the alley way that the pen light was in front of. It wasn't much to look at two dumpsters and stacks of boxes lined against the buildings, the perfect hiding spot for someone like Duo.

"Duo?" He called as he walked into the alley way, looking around, making sure to be on his guard in case he needed to help Duo, or defend himself against someone that wasn't Duo.

A bottle clattered loudly in the small alley way, and his muscles snapped taught, ears straining to listen but nothing else could be heard. He turned his head towards where the sound had come from. Only thing there were piles of boxes and a large garbage bin that was over flowing with trash. A confused frown marred his face as he noticed the pile of boxes shift a little, as if there was something between them and the garbage bin. He slowly back stepped until he could see the small space between the garbage bin and the boxes. It didn't look like a spot where a fully grown man could slide into easily, but Duo was underweight and smaller than the average male, so Trowa wasn't nearly as surprised to see him curled in that tiny space, knees brought up to his chest, holding his head with his hands while his eyes were pressed to his knees.

Trowa slowly leaned down until he was crouching on the ground, looking into the space as Duo trembled in fear and anxiety. It was a sad sight to see, really. Duo, at one point, prided himself at being able to smile at everything, or at least that's what he made everyone believe with all of his smiles and jokes during the war. He had been exactly what they needed him to be. Not because that's what he was naturally, but because that's what he pretended to be so that the others wouldn't have to live with the horrors of the war when the horrors were hundreds of miles away. He took their focus off the war for them, and now he was reduced to an overly emotional, frail young man that was scared of everything that went bump in the night, and in the day. Idly, Trowa wondered what he could do to get the old Duo back. He would do anything to have the other Duo back, even kill someone.

"Duo?" he called softly, keeping his voice low and gentle, as if he was talking to a lost small child, or a frightened animal.

A small gasp could be heard as Duo curled tighter into himself, shaking almost visibly as he lifted his head. Fear lidded violet eyes looked to him, untrusting and cornered. Trowa made sure that he was as low to the ground as possible, even making sure that his hands were visible to him. He had to treat Duo like he would at the circus with sick or injured lions. Duo, frail and emotionally wrecked as he was, was still a dangerous, trained killer. He knew how to kill, and Trowa was sure that he wouldn't even hesitate to do so if he had to. Even the slightest feeling of being threatened would be the end for Trowa if he wasn't careful, alert, but also as soft as he could be.

"Duo? Are you okay?"

The pale male made a noise like a sniffle then uncurled himself a little, eyes never leaving Trowa's whole form. The Latin could see the other's eyes darting from left, right, up then back to him in an almost cycle. Like he was looking for an exit, or something he could use in order to escape.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Duo. I just don't want anything to happen to you." Trowa explained, wincing as he lowered himself to his knees.

Duo turned his head away, trying to hide how close he was to crying, his fear and anxiety building.

"Duo, please. Let me help you."

"You didn't want to help me before!" Duo snapped, his voice low, barely above a whisper, and Trowa almost missed what he said.

"I want to help now." Trowa insisted, knowing that trying to convince the boy that he had always wanted to help him would be pointless. Once Duo got an idea in his head, his own split personality wouldn't let him think of it any other way, he had to go another route. He had to make Duo see that he wanted to help him now. He had to bring Duo out of the past and bring him to the present, the present where people wanted to help him, to love him like the brother they always thought that he was.

Duo swallowed thickly, obviously having trouble, before he uncurled himself a little, his legs almost poking out from his hiding spot, "Why? Why now?"

Trowa looked at him before he looked down, "Because, you're someone I care about. You're someone special to me."

"Special?" Duo asked softly, again, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes. Special. You're like a brother to me."

Violet eyes met Emerald Green again, the amethyst orbs swimming with tears just waiting to break through their final hold and slide down his face, "Brother? Why?"

"Why not?" Trowa asked, tilting his head questioningly at the other.

Duo didn't say anything, just stared at him before he forced himself to look away. He forced himself a little further into the hole he'd made for himself. He was too afraid to come out of it, still.

"Duo. We should get you back to the house. It's cold out here, and you're not dressed to be outside, let alone this far into the city." Trowa said, looking at Duo's bare feet, legs, and shoulders.

As if on cue, Duo shivered and curled up tighter in on himself, this time because he was cold rather than afraid.

"Please, Duo?"

Duo lifted his head, tensing when he saw Trowa's hand offered to him. Offering to take him back to the warmth and comfort of the room he'd grown attached to.

What are you doing? He's not any different than the others. Shinigami hissed in his ear

"I know I wasn't much of a friend to you before, Duo, but I want to be your friend now. I want to be someone you can come to when you're afraid, or want to be around others."

"I don't want to be around others." Duo hissed, shaking his head as if denying his own words.

"We both know that's not true, Duo. You wouldn't come out of your room if that was true. You come out of your room for just a little bit of human interaction. You miss being around people you can trust. I saw the way you and Heero were making those pancakes together. You miss him. You miss being around people you can trust. Even if it's not all of us at once, at least trust me."

Duo stared at him, swallowing thickly before he shook his head, a small whimper coming from him, "I can't trust anyone."

"Duo, don't let Shinigami tell you that."

Duo blinked in surprise at the mention of Shinigami. He lifted his head, swallowing hard and looked to Trowa with wide eyes, "W-what?"

"We all have one, Duo. You can't let him control your life, your fears. You can't let him manipulate you like he wants. Nanashi tried to do it to me, and if it wasn't for Quatra, and his patients, I would've been lost and Nanashi would've taken my place. Please, Duo. Please, let me have the chance to prove myself to you. To prove that I can be a good friend to you again."

Duo, who had been staring at the other through his whole speech, shifted in his hiding spot. He didn't understand the sudden change in the other, why he suddenly wanted to be his friend, but he longed for someone to want to be his friend again. True, Heero was trying, but he didn't trust Heero anymore than the others, and he was more afraid to let Heero close to him than any of the others. Heero had been a special person to him before any of the others, more special than any of the others could've ever been, and when it looked like Heero wouldn't want to be like that with him, Duo withdrew a little. He allowed himself to be the man's best friend, but then he was kidnapped and Heero never found him. No one ever found him when he needed them to. He was more afraid to let Heero close to him, because, even after all these years, and torture, he still had feelings for the man. Feelings that he was sure would never be reciprocated. He was still unsure that if any moment, Relena could come in and snatch the man away from him like a large bird of prey would snatch a rabbit kit from it's mother. He didn't want to open his heart to that kind of hurt, not when he was finally starting to heal from his abuse in the room.

"Duo?"

Duo blinked out of his thoughts, realizing he'd been staring at the other before he slowly crawled out of his hiding spot and took a hold of Trowa's offered hand. Shivering at how warm Trowa's hand was, making him realize how cold he truly was.

"I do have one condition to this, Duo." Trowa murmured softly as he helped the other out of the slot.

Duo froze, looking at him, his body shaking with the cold, "What?"

"You have to open up to me more. It doesn't have to be right away, but I do ask, as your friend, that you come to me when you're afraid or when you just want to talk. Don't disappear into your room like you have been doing."

Duo swallowed thickly once again, lowering his eyes to the ground, staring at Trowa's booted feet that was inches from his own bare ones then nodded his head up and down slowly, "I'll try."

"Okay. Come here." Trowa murmured softly, pulling Duo to him.

Duo tensed at first but slowly let himself be pulled to the other. He tensed even further when Trowa put his arms around him, holding him in a loose but firm hug. Shivering at the warm body against him, he just stood there for a little while, unsure of what to do then put his own arms around Trowa's middle, holding him close. His body starting to warm up and it felt good to have someone comforting him physically and not just verbally.

"Why did you run away, my friend?" Trowa asked softly, his voice not scolding or demanding, just a gentle tone that told Duo that he would understand no matter what he would say.

"All of you all around me. So close. I was feeling closed in. Back in the room, they would all gather around me like that just before...-"

"Before what?" Trowa probed softly, rubbing Duo's back in soothing circles.

Whimpering softly, Duo buried his face against the other's shoulder, blinking when his cold nose hit the warmth, his body now shaking with the memories of what had happened to him. He didn't want to speak, but he promised that he would open up.

"You don't have to tell me just yet, Duo."

"N-no. I do. I-I have to start... opening up more. Not just with you, but with the others, and my therapists. I haven't been talking to them."

Trowa made a small noise that sounded like a mix between a chuckle and a scolding scoff, "I've noticed."

Duo took a deep, ragged breath, trying to calm his nerves, "They would all crowd around me like that before they would... do things to me."

"Beat you?" Trowa offered, trying to get clarification.

"N-no." Duo whimpered softly.

Trowa's arms tightened around Duo, holding him as if he would shelter him as understanding hit him, "Duo..."

"They didn't do it at first, for the first nine months. Then that man, the one that held me captive and seemed to be their boss, he got impatient. He wanted answers and he wanted them now." Duo stopped when his voice grew thick, tears stinging at his eyes.

"It's okay, Duo. None of this was your fault."

"Yes it is." Duo whimpered softly, his fingers curling into a fist with Trowa's shirt in his hands, "I couldn't stop them."

"Duo, I saw those men. They were strong people."

Duo shook his head, tears falling from his eyes and into Trowa's shirt, "They would hold me down, and... and they would take turns."

Trowa frowned into Duo's shoulder, his mind burning with the urge to hit someone, mostly the people responsible for such pain that this young man had to go through.

"How often?" Trowa murmured.

"At... at least once a week." Duo sniffled, body shaking with a suppressed sob.

"Shh. It's okay, Duo. Nothing like that will ever happen to you here. You're safe with us. Come on, let's get you back to the house." Trowa murmured, wanting the other to stop before he had himself another panic attack.

Duo shook his head, "N-Not yet. Please. Can we just... stay here for a little while longer?"

Trowa swallowed before he nodded, "Just a little while longer." he murmured, pushing Duo from him and taking off his jacket.

Duo scrubbed at his eyes, trying hard not to cry as Trowa threw his jacket over his shoulders then pulled him close again, holding him and rubbing his shoulders to warm him up. Duo, surprised by the other taking care of him like this, actually did start to cry against the other's chest. His shoulders shaking, his breath hitching as his tears rolled from his cheeks and soaked into Trowa's shirt. Trowa bit his lip, wanting nothing more than to get the other home where he could comfort him properly but Duo didn't want to go back just yet. The news that what that man, 'Smith', had said to Heero before was true made him wish that Heero had killed them man when he vaulted over the table.

Silently, Trowa made it his mission that he would find the person responsible for all of Duo's pain and suffering. He would find them and make them suffer the same way, if not worse.

* * *

Heero paced the length of the living room, running his fingers through his hair for the millionth time before he stopped and looked to the front door, growling a little when it still didn't open. Trowa and Duo had been gone for almost an hour now. Well, Duo's been gone for an hour, Trowa almost as long since Trowa left the house after Duo and left their sight even later.

_'I need to stop that.'_ Heero thought to himself, trying to force his obsessive habits to stop taking over his mind.

He didn't understand how he could be so literal about things at such a time, and again, he didn't understand why his obsessive nature wasn't forcing him to go out there and look for the two again. When Trowa had left Wufei and him there, they both agreed that it would be best to go back to the house and let Trowa find Duo since Trowa knew the area better than either of them and he would be able to find him faster. Logically, it was a good idea that they let Trowa handle things, but he didn't want to let Trowa handle things. He wanted to be the one to rescue Duo. He wanted to be the other's savior. The fact that his attempts at getting the other to warm up to him was being thwarted at every angle was enough to piss him off. He wanted Duo to be his friend, and he wanted it to happen right now.

Heero's head snapped to the front door when it opened. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Trowa walking into the house, carrying Duo, who was sound asleep against his chest, bridal style into the warmth of the house. He quickly crossed the room and was about to say something when Trowa gave him a stern 'don't even think about it' look and headed upstairs with Duo. Heero stood there, glued in surprise and shock as Trowa took Duo to the young man's room then came out without him, obviously putting him to bed.

_"He was wearing Trowa's coat."_ The Perfect Soldier growled into Heero's ear, a small prickle forming in the back of his neck as if the voice had actually touched his neck.

It is cold outside, and Duo didn't exactly grab his jacket when he ran out of the house in a panic. Nor did he have shoes on his feet. It was a good thing that Trowa let Duo borrow his jacket or the other would've gotten sick. He forced the Soldier back into his 'area' and ignored the voice's ranting as he climbed the stairs to where Trowa was silently closing Duo's bedroom door.

"Is he okay?" Heero asked.

"Fine. He'll be out until morning."

"Where was he?"

"Hiding behind a dumpster in an alley. From the looks of it, he was using that penlight he carries around for light, and when it died, he panicked and dove into the first available hiding spot he could see. I would leave him alone for now, Heero. He's been through a lot today."

Begrudgingly, Heero nodded then turned for his own room. Inside, he locked himself in and went to the bathroom attached to his room. He opened his medicine cabinet and took out three bottles from the collection of five, each with his name on them. He closed the mirror door and jumped a little when he 'saw' a copy of himself standing behind him.

"Fuck." Heero growled, glaring at the 'image' once he settled down enough.

_"You know that he's never going to be your friend? He doesn't like you."_

The image's mouth moved, but the Soldier's voice echoed in his head, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on ends again. He was used to this, but his split personality appearing in an almost physical form in a mirror always startled him. He didn't understand why he was hallucinating like this again and idly thought that he had to talk to Walter about it in their next session, which happened to be tomorrow, thank the Gods.

_"Don't ignore me."_

"Fuck off. You're wrong. He can and will be my friend again. I will get him back." Heero growled softly, looking at one of the bottles, finding the word 'Geodon' acceptable and opening it.

The Soldier chuckled at him as he took out a pill capsule that was blue on one end and white on the other, setting it on the edge of the sink, then recapped and replaced the bottle, opening the second one.

_"Those pills aren't going to help you. I'm not going anywhere."_

"Shut up." Heero growled, reading the second one, 'Clonazepam', popping it open and fishing out a small, round, yellow-ish pill that he set beside the Geodin, then recapped and replaced that bottle as well.

_"You wait and see. One day, I'm going to show you just how 'friendly' he can be with you. He doesn't want to be your friend! He never did!"_

Heero growled softly as he got the third one, 'Zoloft' and repeated the action that he had with the other two, this one a larger, white pill. He filled the glass on his counter with water and picked up the other two pills. Quickly, he downed them and chased them with two gulps of water, glaring at the Soldier that glared back at him.

"You're not going to run my life, nor am I going to let you ruin my chances with Duo. Not this time."

The Soldier smirked at him, as if he knew something that Heero didn't as Heero walked away from the mirror.

_"We'll see."_

"No, we wont!" Heero snarled, ripping open his dresser drawer, snatching up a new pair of boxers.

The soldier didn't say anything at that, much to Heero's relief. He quickly undressed from his day clothes, throwing them in the dirty clothes basket. He pulled the boxers over his lower body, making sure they were snug in place then climbed into bed, cuddling into the sheets that were cold from lack of use all day. He pulled the blanket close and let it warm him up a little as he closed his eyes, letting sleep take him over.

* * *

Trowa sighed as he lounged in the couch, sighing comfortably as Quatra curled up beside him. The television filling the room with the sound of the news anchor talking about the latest fire report in the woods far from their own house. It was a rather boring day, too cold to go outside, but there was no thing to do in the mansion besides watch television since none of the others were out of their rooms to play games or anything.

As if on cue, Wufei came down stairs, followed, at a distance, by Duo. Wufei was dressed in a pair of sweat pants, and a long sleeved white shirt, hair pulled up in it's usual ponytail. Duo was wearing loose jeans and a long sleeve black shirt, his eyes darting around a little nervously as he tucked a lock of hair behind his ear, a little annoyed at it. He really missed his long hair. Trowa looked over at the two, feeling a little happy at seeing them, maybe now he could do something.

"You two wanna play a card game?" Trowa asked.

"Sure." Wufei said, turning into the living room and taking the deck of cards from the tabletop he passed.

There were games and cards everywhere, mostly because sometimes Quatra's sisters came by, and they would always bring their kids. You had to have games when it came to kids or else the whole place would be trashed. Duo swallowed a little, moving after Wufei and took a seat around the table as Quatra and Trowa did the same. Soon, the cards were dealt and the game started.

"What are we playing?" Duo asked softly.

"Spades." Wufei grunted softly.

"Oh. Who am I paired with?" Duo asked, looking down a little, shifting.

"Me." Wufei said, shifting through his cards.

Duo nodded, looking down again, feeling nervous for some reason as he looked down at his hand. He glanced at Trowa, who was watching him closely then nodded.

"Actually, I think it would be best if I was his partner." he said.

Wufei lifted his head to the other, looking confused then sighed as he switched chairs with the taller male. The four of them sat around playing cards for almost two hours when Heero came down stairs, looking at them in confusion.

"What's going on?"

"Playing Spades." Wufei said, growling as he ten was trumped by a Jack.

Heero grunted before he looked at Duo, who was making sure not to look at him, seeming oddly focused on his cards. He frowned a little before he moved over to the other, looking over his shoulder at the cards, smiling when he saw that Duo had mostly spades in his hand. His smiled turned into a frown when Duo folded his cards then got up, moving over to where Trowa was sitting, almost visibly shaking.

"What's wrong?" Trowa asked, looking at Duo, who shook his head, head still down as if he didn't want to answer him, "I see. It's okay."

Heero felt an unfamiliar rage fill him when Duo nodded, seeming to relax a little but didn't move back to his seat.

'It's because you're still standing there. He doesn't want to be around you.' the Soldier hissed at him before he laughed in his head.

Heero felt his rage build as he walked around Quatra's chair, close to Trowa's watching as Duo moved defensively closer to Trowa, as if seeking comfort from the man. His blood seemed to be boiling, his heart was racing. He was getting angrier and angrier by the minute as Duo continued to shy away from him. He'd done nothing to warrant such a reaction from Duo, yet here the man was, acting like a scolded animal would around it's abuser.

* * *

Trowa watched Heero with a frown, noticing the small twitching going on in his temple, a sign of anger before he sat back in his chair a little, watching closely as Heero walked slowly around his chair, as if he was stalking something. Trowa saw the muscle twitch a split second before Heero suddenly tackled and forced Duo to the ground, away from Trowa's protective embrace.

"Heero!" Quatra gasped, both he and Wufei getting fro their chairs to assist Trowa in pulling Heero off of Duo as the Japanese male hit Duo with his fists.

Duo let out a cry like a child would when their parents were beating them unfairly until he scrambled away. Wufei snatched Heero from Trowa as the taller male moved to Duo, scooping him up and holding him to him in a comforting embrace.

* * *

Heero didn't know what happened. One minute, his rage was building and the next thing he knew he was being pulled off of Duo and restrained by Wufei as Trowa comforted Duo, livid bruises forming on his face and arms.

"N-no. I-I didn't-" Heero stuttered, paling as the Soldier began to laugh at him.

"Stay away from me! Don't go near me! I don't want to be around you!" Duo sobbed into Trowa's chest, obviously refering to Heero.

"D-Duo, I-" Heero started but Duo pushed further from him, curling closer around Trowa as he cried.

_'What are you apologizing for? He's the one that brought it on himself. Stupid whore.'_

"No! No no no!" Heero snapped, pushing away from Wufei and bolting up the stairs two at a time.

He ran to his room, almost missing the door by a few inches and closed it behind him, locking it tightly as he looked around wildly, the Soldier still laughing in his head. HIs eyes settled on the medicine cabinet. Swallowing thickly, he moved to the cabinet and ripped it open, looking at the row of pills that sat harmlessly there.

_'What are you doing?'_

Heero ignored him and snatched up the first bottle of pills, he quickly opened it. He downed a handful from the bottle, taking a long gulp of water to wash it down before he took another handful and did the same. He went through three bottles like that before he stopped, swallowing thickly as his vision began to blur with his own self rage.

_'What are you doing? Stop it!'_

"No. You hurt him. I'm going to make sure that you die for it." Heero growled as he turned, stumbling into the bedroom and sat at the edge of the bed.

_'You can't kill me! You're just going to kill yourself!'_

"So be it. You hurt him. I hurt him. I don't deserve to live. He didn't deserve that, you fuck!" Heero snarled, starting to feel the pills starting to take effect on his body.

The soldier didn't say anything, unable to speak, or even be heard as Heero laid himself onto the bed, almost getting comfortable as he laid there, staring at the wall, waiting. He could still feel the Soldier, shifting around in his head, trying to find a way to take over, to get control so it could save himself. He wasn't going to let the Soldier hurt anyone anymore.

* * *

Downstairs, Trowa sat Duo on the couch, using a rag to clean the blood from the side of his mouth as Wufei came in with a pack of ice and handed it to him.

"He didn't mean it, Duo. It wasn't him." Trowa explained, looking at the other as tears continued to stream down his face.

"He has one, too?" Duo asked softly, reaching up and rubbing at his eyes.

"He does. His is the worse because he had the most exposure to the system. His, the Soldier, is very relentless and violent. He's been taking medication for it and also therapy for it. He's better than he used to be, Duo. I promise. He didn't mean it."

Duo made a soft noise, taking the ice and pressing it to his face before he nodded, "I understand." he murmured.

"Guys! Something's wrong! Heero's fading." Quatra gasped, reaching up and clutching at his heart.

Wufei and Trowa looked at each other, seeming to share the same thought.

"He didn't!" Wufei snarled.

Trowa shoved past all of them, running up the stairs, Wufei and Quatra hot on his heels. Duo sat there, looking stupefied for a minute then ran after them, taking the stairs two at a time as he ran for Heero's room. In the living room, the News Report was still running for the evening News before the scene changed and the words 'Late Breaking News' flashed in red and white letters and the anchor returned, interrupting the story that was just going on.

"This just in, the body of Dr. Duncan Lareum, a phyciatric therapist from Circles has just been found in his car in front of the facility. Officials tell us that the man suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head, point blank range making police believe that this was a random act of gang violence. Witnesses that found the body say that Lareum had been missing from the facility for almost two days before a patient coming in spotted him in his car, dead. Stay tuned in for more on this story as it develops."


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing save for a few OCs and maybe the plot.

So, I've been working hard, as always, both in the real world and in the fan fiction world. I'm sorry that this has taken so long, but here's a new chapter for you guys!

**Reviewer's Corner:**

**pikeebo**- Now, if I told you all of that, there would be no reason for you to keep reading, now would there. XD Trust me, stay tuned and all answers come to those who wait patiently.

**Starless-ocean-** Originally, I was only going to have Heero and Duo have the personalities brought out by the Zero system, but then I would have people questioning why Quatra, Wufei and Trowa, who were also exposed to the system, didn't have them. In the end, I decided to give each of them a different personality just to keep things even. I didn't want it all to be completely 100% focused on just Heero and Duo... Just 99.9999999999*takes a deep breath* 999999999999999999999% about them... XD Don't worry, the other personalities only make an appearance when it is necessary, as you can see, we have yet to 'hear' from Nanashi and Dragon, and I doubt I will let them come forth any time soon. I just let Zero come forth because I wanted to show Quatra's determination to help Duo and how he, too, struggles with his own insecurities when it comes to Trowa and their relationship. I doubt we'll see Zero again in this fan fiction unless I feel he's necessary for something.

Dragon1727-

Is this fast enough? XD Probably not, but I am working as fast as I can, I promise and I am sorry for the wait.

**Sammy- **Aw, thank you. I'm sorry, like I said to Dragon, for the wait, but I assure you that I am working as hard and as fast as I can.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

_Darkness. He liked the darkness. It made him feel more comfortable than anything else. White was too pristine and made his Obsessive tendencies go haywire with the need to keep the blank color as such. Other colors annoyed him when they were around each other, especially when they touched when it wasn't a necessity but black, the color of darkness, it was a comforting color for him. Nothing besides something white could mar something black, and even then, the white always seemed to almost fit with the darkness of the black color. The combination of black and white always made him think of Duo, and that priest outfit he used to wear during the war. He couldn't even begin to count how many hours he spent looking at the one picture he had of the braided man over the past years, and that was saying something for him. He was always good at counting things quickly._

_Dark blue opened, only to scowl at the offending glare that bounced off the building before him. He had always hated the building across from Preventer's Headquarters. It always made the sun glare into his eyes. If he wanted to be blinded by sunlight, he would pull one of Duo's bone head maneuvers and stare into the burning star for hours on end. A small smile found it's way on his face at that memory. Duo had been staring at the sun for a few hours when Heero found him outside, splayed on the ground as if he were dead or sunning, just staring at the sun until he heard Heero coming. When Heero had asked why he was doing that, Duo just stared at him now before he smiled and said something about letting something else blind him with it's radiance for a little while. He hadn't known what that had meant at the time, and, truthfully, he still didn't know what it meant._

"Heero!"

T_he Japanese male jerked in surprise at the call of his name. He let his smile slip from his face and turned a harsh glare to where Trowa was hanging out the window of the building, looking at him as he stood on the edge of the thirty-second floor of the fifty story high sky scraper. He hadn't wanted anyone to come to him when he was out here. He was looking to get away, get away from everything and everyone. Duo had been missing for two years, and Heero had exhausted all his options of searching for the other male. He had looked every day for the past two years, and he could not find anything, not even any record of Duo even boarding that shuttle back to L2 that morning that he disappeared from all of their lives. It was infuriating, and now, two years later, the others had convinced him that Duo wouldn't be found until he wanted to be found, or he was dead. Just thinking of the other being dead was enough to send a wave of sadness down his spine. He didn't want that, not for Duo. Anyone but Duo. The former L2 orphan had been through enough in his life, he didn't deserve to be taken out of the world before anyone else could see how special and important he was._

_"What?" Heero snapped at Trowa, letting his voice show his annoyance at the other._

_"What the hell are you doing out here, Heero?"_

_"Enjoying the view." he shrugged his shoulders and looked forward again, glaring at the offending building once more._

_"You don't enjoy views, Heero. You avoid them like the fucking plague. Will you come back inside, you're giving Quatra a heart attack."_

_Heero grunted, showing that he heard the other but he wasn't going to oblige in his wants. He didn't want to go back inside. He was tired of the office, he was tired of the looks he got from the people who were higher and lower ranked than him, like he was insane or about to kill all of them any second._

'Well, what do you expect when you talk to me during the day, dumb ass?'

_Heero growled at the voice that spoke up in his head. He had been hearing this voice for years, but he always shrugged it off as weird thoughts that would run through his head, since most of the time, all it would say are things that he needed to know, but now that he didn't need to know certain things, the voice disturbed him greatly. He didn't like where it was leading and often he did catch himself talking back to it in public, especially before his fellow Preventers._

_"Heero?"_

_Blinking out of his thoughts, Heero turned his head back to Trowa, frowning at him again, hoping that his dismissal would make the other leave him alone like it used to during the war, but, like many things he wished were like how they were, it just wasn't happening. Like Duo walking through the door any second finished with a very long mission and tired as hell. No. Duo wasn't going to come through the door anymore. Duo wasn't going to do anything anymore because Duo was-_

_"Heero, why are you out here?" Trowa asked again, agitating Heero a little more as the taller male ignored the urgent tugs and pleading whimpers of Quatre to climb out onto the ledge with Heero._

_"I was thinking." Heero answered truthfully, glancing down at the traffic thirty-two stories below his feet before he shifted and sat at the edge, letting his feet dangle off the sides as he looked around._

_"Out here?"_

_"Hai. I was thinking... Maybe I should just... happen to fall of this ledge."_

_Trowa froze at that, looking at Heero like he had sprouted another head before he shook his head at him, "You don't just happen to do anything, Heero. You do things because you have to or you want to. It will be labeled as Suicide and Homicide if you landed on someone down there."_

_Heero blinked at Trowa before he felt a chuckle build in his chest. He allowed the chuckle to come forth until it was a full out laugh, much like the time when Trowa laughed at him after Heero woke up after blowing himself up. It wasn't his crazed 'kill-everyone' laugh, but a true, genuine, 'someone-said-something-really-fucking-funny' laugh. Trowa tilted his head in confusion at the other, wondering what he'd done to make Heero laugh like that._

_"You sound like Duo." Heero chuckled as he looked down at the traffic again._

_Trowa tensed at his words before he sighed. Today marked the second anniversary of Duo's disappearance. Two years ago, today, was the last time any of them had heard or seen the American pilot. Two years ago, today, Heero had become obsessed with finding Duo again after realizing that he didn't want to be away from the other pilot. Two years ago, today, was when Heero truly opened up, only to snap closed again, returning to being the Perfect Soldier he was**.**_

_"Heero. Killing yourself wont bring him back." Trowa said, looking to the other._

_"It would put me with him, wouldn't it?"_

_"Depends on what you believe. If Duo died on his own, then you wouldn't go with him when you killed yourself. If Duo had killed himself, then yes, you would go with him again, but we don't know if he's dead or alive, or if he killed himself or not."_

_Heero looked back up at the horrible building in front of him again, seeming to be thinking. He tossed that idea around in his head a little before he sighed and leaned back against the Preventer's building, looking up at the clear blue sky. Duo always liked days like this._

_"So... I should find out what I can about him before I kill myself?" Heero asked._

_"If that will get your ass back in this building, yes." Trowa said, frowning a little at Heero._

_Heero rolled that idea in his head, too. Going back inside. He didn't want to be back in there. He hated it. He hated the desk job, he hated the missions, he hated all of it. He didn't know how much he could take of it anymore, not without Duo with him._

_"I've been hearing a voice." Heero suddenly said to the sky, not seeming to care who heard him._

_"A-a voice?" Trowa asked, blinking at Heero from where he was perched, shifting._

_"Hai. It sounds like me, only lower, colder. I don't think it's me, but, at the same time, I think that it is."_

_"Have you talked to Sally about it?"_

_"Hn. No. I didn't want anyone to know before, but it's kind of hard for anyone to not know when I sometimes catch myself talking to it while I'm around others." Heero said, his voice sounding thick and tired._

_"Heero. Come back inside."_

_"No."_

_Trowa froze, watching Heero closely before he swallowed when the other didn't move, just continued to stare up at the sky, "Why not?"_

_"I'm tired, Trowa. I came out here to do something and I am going to finish it."_

_"Heero, this isn't the answer."_

_"Then what is? I would love to know this." Heero snapped, now glaring harshly at Trowa, who flinched away from the look, a mistake as Heero leaned forward, closer to the edge of the platform._

_"Heero, don't. Please. We've already lost Duo, we can't lose you, too."_

_"Why? Why am I so important to you?" Heero asked, frowning._

_"Why wouldn't you be?" Trowa asked, his voice low and sounded almost hurt._

_Heero stared at him for a few seconds, his vision slightly blurred from staring at the sky, but he could still make out Trowa's figure against the building. He didn't really understand why Trowa was wanting him to stick around. He wanted everything to be done with, and usually, Trowa didn't bother himself with these kind of things. A shift from inside stole Heero's attention from Trowa to the small blond inside that was watching him fearfully. Heero felt he understood now. Trowa didn't want him to do what he was thinking because it would hurt Quatre. He was in a relationship with the former Sandrock pilot, so it was logical that he didn't want anything to happen that could potentially upset or hurt the blond._

_"You're right, but I also don't want anything to happen to you." Trowa said, making Heero jerk in surprise, looking at the other like he'd sprouted a third head until he realized he'd been talking out loud, "You're like a brother to me, Heero. You and Wufei. I don't want to lose any more of my brothers. I already lost Duo, I don't want to lose any more of you."_

_Heero listened to his words, letting them soak in before he sighed softly, "Just tell me this, Trowa."_

_"What?"_

_"Do you think he's still alive?"_

_"Yes, I do."_

_"... Me, too."_

* * *

Medication clouded blue eyes slowly cracked open, wincing as the sensitive orbs were assaulted by the purest white color he'd ever seen. Such a horrible color. Letting out a low noise, he blinked back the fogginess he felt and slowly sat up, only to grunt when binds around his arms and chest prevent him from moving more than a couple of inches. Heero laid back, remembering the last time he was in restraints like this. Just after he'd been 'talked' down from the ledge of Preventer's Headquarters. He'd been immediately surrounded, drugged and strapped down to a bed like this exactly like this.

"Brings back some memories, huh?"

Heero jerked a little, looking up from the strap, only to see a blurred green, blue and brown color. Blinking a few times, his vision cleared to show Trowa sitting in the chair beside his bed wearing a green turtle neck, a pair of blue jeans, and his phone in his hand, most likely playing one of the few games he had on it to occupy his time.

"Hn. Not really. I wasn't in a room as white as this one." Heero grumbled, looking around before he looked at Trowa, "How long have I been out?"

"Hm. A week."

"What?"

Trowa smirked as he looked up from the game on his phone to Heero, shaking his head, "You were in a coma, Heero. You almost succeeded in your little suicide attempt."

"Suicide attempt... I see..." Heero murmured, looking down at the restraints again.

"Do you remember what happened before?"

"Unfortunately... How is Duo?"

"Tired. He was here most of the time with one of us. Quatra just got him to go back to the house and relax a little."

"He was here?" Heero asked, lifting his head.

Trowa nodded, clicking his game off and pocketing his phone, "Yeah. Most of the time. We had to make him go home a few times, but he was here for the most part. You scared him."

"I bet I did... He does know that I-"

"No, I meant your suicide attempt scared him." Trowa said, frowning at the other.

"I-... what?"

"He was with us when we broke into your room. He stood there, paralyzed, as Quatra phoned for the Ambulance, Wufei collected your information and I tried to get you to throw your pills back up. I couldn't get your gag reflex to work. Duo pushed past me, turned you to face the floor and punched you in the stomach. You hurled it right up." Trowa chuckled.

"Hn. I can't believe he remembered that..."

Trowa chuckled once more as he nodded, "He seemed surprised he'd done it at first then he said you'd swallowed a round once by accident while loading your gun."

"Augh." Heero groaned, remembering that, "Yeah. Scared the crap out of the both of us. Me, because I knew that it could go off if the gunpowder reacted with the stomach acid, Duo because it was a round, nothing more. I had him punch me as hard as he could. It's the only way to get me to throw up."

"Hm. Odd that I've never seen you throw up when you were being interrogated by OZ before."

"I have to try gagging myself and then get punched in the stomach. If I don't gag first, it doesn't work."

Trowa grunted softly, nodding his head as he watched Heero before he sighed softly, "Why didn't you tell anyone that you were having trouble with the Soldier again? We could've helped you."

Grunting softly, he turned his head away, looking to the ground and shook his head, his bangs brushing agitatingly against his nose and cheek. Trowa seemed to have noticed his discomfort because the other rose from his seat and brushed his bangs from his face, letting them fall where they should then grabbed Heero's face, forcing him to look at him.

"Why didn't you tell us, Heero?"

Blue eyes bore into green ones, seeming to be looking for the answer himself as he stared back at the other. Why didn't he tell the others he was having problems still? They were working on Duo, working on getting Duo's under control and getting the other to trust all of them again. He didn't want to take away from Duo like that. It wasn't fair. Duo needed all the attention he could get in order to get better, to get over what had happened to him. Heero couldn't bother all of them with his own petty complaints, because compared to Duo, he had nothing to complain about and had it easy. Trowa stared at him for a few more seconds, as if he could read his mind before he sighed, nodding his head.

"You didn't want to take away from Duo." Trowa concluded before he shook his head, "Idiot, now we're diffidently taking away from him, aren't we?"

"I wasn't suppose to survive it. I didn't want to. I hurt him." Heero muttered, pulling his head from Trowa's grasp and glaring down at the white sheets, "I let that bastard take over again and he used all he could against Duo. He did exactly what Duo didn't need done to him. Duo spent five years being abused like that and that asshole goes and puts him in that place all over again by hitting him! Why can't he just fucking go away? I don't fucking need him anymore and I don't understand why he wont just-"

"Heero!"

The Japanese male winced, his breathing now harsh and quick as he suddenly found himself worked into a panic attack.

"Heero, focus. How many tiles on the ceiling?"

"Thirteen."(13) Heero rasped out without even hesitating.

"On the floor?"

"Seventy-Nine."(79)

"How many windows?"

"Four."

"How many fingers and toes in this room?"

"Eighty."(80)

"How many if the others were here?"

"Two hundred."(200)

"Add them together."

"Five hundred Seventy-six."(576)

"Divide by five."

"One hundred fifteen point two."(115.2)

"Add how many lines in the Zero System Mainframe."

"Seven hundred eighty-nine thousand nine hundred forty-five point two."(789,945.2)

"Divide by pi."

"Two hundred fifty-one thousand five hundred seventy-four point nine zero four four five eight five nine eight seven."(251,574.9044585987)

"Better?"

Heero leaned back into the bed, taking a deep breath as he nodded, "Hai. Thank you, Trowa."

"No problem. We need to come up with a better number sequence. That was a long point value."

Heero nodded, "It can't be the same every time, though."

"I know. Relax. I already called Walter and informed him of everything that had happened."

Heero tensed for a second before he scowled at the bed sheets, "Great."

"Don't worry. He says that he will just add another medication and up one of your other ones."

"Even better." Heero grunted sarcastically.

Trowa chuckled a little as he watched Heero then shifted a little, "Larium's dead."

Heero blinked at the other, "What?"

"Duncan Larium, the man who put Duo in that room that snapped him out of his little... daze... he was found dead in his car, bullet to the brain a week ago."

Heero stared at Trowa for a minute before he grunted, looking forward, "Good. Bastard."

Trowa snorted, shaking his head before he leaned his elbow on the arm of his chair, "Something's not right about this, Heero. There's something going on that we don't know about and I think Duo does know what it is."

"You're not interrogating him." Heero growled.

"He might be in danger, Heero. Would you rather him be uncomfortable for a few minutes or dead?"

"I rather neither of them. He's finally starting to trust us, Trowa, and you're going to take that away."

"I know, but we can't keep going blindly like we have been. We have to know what we're up against."

"I don't think Duo knows anything. They kept him in a small room with no one else in it. I doubt that he would know anything."

"I've heard differently, Heero."

"Huh?"

"Trust me. I wont let anything happen to Duo, you know that."

"Now that is something I can't be sure of."

Trowa blinked in hurt at the other's words, "You don't trust me?"

"I didn't say that. I said I don't know if you can prevent anything from happening to Duo, especially if he runs off again."

"He wont run away."

"How do you know?"

"Trust me. I have to go now. Walter will be here in a little while. Try not to kill him with that Death Glare of yours."

"Che." Heero grunted, shaking his head as Trowa ruffled his hair, "Aurg! Don't do that! Trowa!"

Trowa chuckled as he quickly left the room as Heero's mused hair fell into his face, tickling his nose and his cheeks again. Heero grumbled as the other left. He leaned back into the bed once more, looking up at the ceiling, letting his mind wander a little bit as he watched shadows stretch over the ceiling from the tree outside and the moving sun. He didn't know nor did he really care how long he'd been there before he heard the door open.

"You're late." Heero murmured, thinking it was Walter.

"Didn't know you were expecting me." a smooth voice hissed in his ear.

Heero jerked away from the voice, blinking when something was pressed over his face. He let out a muffled shout as he pulled at his restraints too late as the smell of the chloroform took over his senses, making the edge of his vision start to fade as he committed the image of the tall, blond haired man in a neatly pressed suit to memory just before he couldn't remember anything else.

Watching the Japanese male fall into unconsciousness before him, the man removed the rag and placed it back into his jacket pocket. He glanced around the room before he moved to the door, knocking on it twice. From behind the door, two large men in nursing scrubs came into the room and began to get the bed ready then popped the locks off the breaks. They set Heero up and covered him up to look like he was a patient being transported, and to hide the restraints, as they wheeled the bed out of the room. The man in the suit watched them carefully before he flipped open his black phone and pressed the '2' on the keypad, pressing it to his ear.

"Go ahead." the voice on the other end rasped out a little.

"We have Yuy. We're on the way. E.T.A. is half an hour."

"Good. Have 'R' spring 'S' and report back, 'T'." the voice said, it sounded stronger now.

"Yes, my lord. Anything else?"

"Make sure Maxwell knows we have his boyfriend soon. I want him back in my possession before the end of the week."

"It will be done, my Lord." the man said before he flipped the phone closed with a final click.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, what did you all think? Sorry about the numbers, I have always seen Heero as a Mathematician, so I had to have something math related to be something that would calm him down. I know, it's kinda short this round but I will post a longer one next time, I promise.

The numbers in the parenthesis are for people, like me, who are visual people when it comes to numbers. Reading numbers and trying to think of how big that number really is gives me a headache, and I'm sure there are other people who this happens to, so I put that there for all us visual peoples.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing save for a few OCs and maybe the plot.

**Reviewer's Corner:**

**Silver-**I'm sure someone does, but we're just going to have to see if something does happen to these people now that they've crossed this line!

**02slittlebaka- **Thank you! I love reading reviews like yours. Originally, I was meaning for this to be only a few chapters long, five at the most, but it kinda kept popping out little demon plot bunnies as I got closer to the end that I wanted. I can't promise that it wont end any time soon, but I am going to let the plots continue to write themselves since this has been the most surprising fan fiction I have ever written.

**Starless-**Well, it's not that he was doing that. See, when I disassemble a gun to clean it, I remove the rounds from the clip and clean the clip as well, just to be sure that there isn't anything in it that will cause it to jam or something while I'm using it. I have this habit, that I've put here because of personal experience, of holding the next round in my mouth as I load the clip back up if I am having trouble getting the round to slide. I've actually accidentally swallowed a pellet while loading my Automatic Pellet Rifle years ago. I gave Heero this habit because of this experience. It was hilarious to me after I got over the initial panic that I swallowed a 'bullet'.

**Anne- **Thank you for the review, and I agree, it is a little scary, but I have always wondered what kinda of reprecusions after the series the pilots would have after using such a system as the Zero System, especially after I saw the episode where J told everyone that other subjects besides Heero went mad after using said System. I'm glad you like that Trowa is so stable, I was going to make it Quatra, but I thought that Trowa would be the better choice as he always seemed to be the level headed one in the series. On a later note, welcome to the fold. ^_^

**Panda-**Of course I'm going to continue this. I wouldn't be cruel enough to leave so many nice readers with just a cliffhanger to hold onto. No, I am going to let this continue for as long as possible, then I am going to move on to other projects. Oddly enough, I don't have that many of them that are well developed enough to start posting on here yet. XD I will get there eventually, though.

**_Honestly, I have been having a lot of writer's block lately. I have probably rewrote this chapter a thousand times before I finally deemed this one as good as it is going to get. It's nothing more than I am having a bit of a hard time finding the... will to write. I know what I want done, it's all already written down from way before, the plot and the process of the plot, but to actually sit down and type it up has been a little bit of a slow start._**

There have been a few personal contributors to this, as well as situational things, so I've come to call this bout of missing plot bunnies as 'Writing Depression.' I have started calling it that because it basically feels like I'm depressed when I'm trying to write. I've been having trouble concentrating on the chapter, and sometimes I've even found it to be difficult to write, which was something that really upset me because I'm so used to being able to whip out at least a rough draft of what I want in a chapter without even trying. This brought up negative thoughts that I wasn't ever going to get this chapter done, and I was going to disappoint a few people, which made me angry at this chapter for not being able to write itself for a while until, finally, I was able to get over it, no clue how I did it, but I did, and here is the new chapter.

I apologize for yakking your ears off, people. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 15**

The gentle rumble of the engine cut out with the turn of the key. The brunette behind the wheel sat back in his seat, sighing softly as he let his shoulders and lower back relax. It seems like they'd been tense like that for as long as he could remember, maybe he was even born tense like this. He wasn't sure, nor did he want to really take the brain power it would take to think that far back for him. Green eyes turned to the passenger seat where Quatra was curled up, laying his head on the door, gazing out the window, but not really seeing anything he was so lost in his own thoughts.

"Little one?" Trowa called to the smaller male, making Quatra blink and raise his head to look at Trowa, "What's bothering you?"

Quatra merely stared at him for a few seconds before he sighed, scrubbing his eyes over his face, "I am not entirely sure what it is but I have this strange feeling. I feel... I feel like something is going to happen and that nowhere on Earth or the Colonies is a safe place right now."

"Have you ever had this feeling before?"

Quatra shrugged a little, reaching up and scrubbing his fingertips through his hair, "During the wars, I had this feeling all the time, but I grew up with it so I was used to it, and it wasn't as strong as this feeling is. Before, it was just a slight paranoia of being captured while on a mission. This one... I feels like I shouldn't let my guard down even for a second."

Trowa listened intently before he nodded to him, "I understand what you are saying. I don't have a similar feeling, but I am not as in tune with things like you are. What do you think we should do about this feeling?"

Quatra turned his gaze to him, searching his face as if he were looking for the answer to that question from him before he shook his head, "I don't know."

Trowa leaned back into his seat again, tilting his head back to look back up at the roof of the care and nodded, "All right. Come on, little one. We should get inside. The less time Wufei has with Duo, the better."

Inside the house was, as usual, relatively quiet. the only real noise was the loud music coming from Duo's room and the soft shifting as Wufei changed positions in the arm chair he was reading in. hearing them come in, Wufei set his book aside and rose to walk over to them.

"I take it that Yuy is well."

"He is fine. He woke up today, and barely remembers the incident. He remembers what happened before, but he doesn't really remember taking all the pills that he took. All he knows is that he lost control, _he_ hit Duo and Heero became so angry at _him _and himself that he wanted to kill the both of them. I have Walter talking to him. He should be talking to him right now."

"Good. Yuy will be up and about in no time, especially once Walter clears him." Wufei muttered.

"I am not so sure. Walter isn't going to just let Heero skate on something like this, especially since his reaction to the situation was to self-destruct. Walter might make Heero return to Circles for at least a week."

"Well, either way. I have to leave tonight." Wufei informed them.

"What? Why?" Trowa asked, frowning at the Chinese male.

"I received a e-mail from the Commander of the Branch Preventers down here. He would like my help in training some new recruits. I agreed to it."

"I have to go somewhere tonight, too, Trowa." Quatra murmured softly.

"What? Since when?"

"Earlier this morning. There's a problem with the company that I have to be present to sort out. I'll only be gone tonight."

"Who's going to stay with Duo? Heero's in the hospital."

"I'm only going down the road, Trowa. You stay here with Duo, I'll take Arashi with me as bodyguard and be back before you even know it." Quatra said with a reassuring smile on his face.

Trowa frowned a little before he sighed, nodding, "All right. You do need to go, and Duo wont be able to handle being in a large building like that with so many people so... I'll stay with him, but I want a full report from Arashi when you two come back."

Quatra chuckled before he nodded, "You're such a worry wart."

Trowa smirked, leaning over and nuzzling his nose into the others hair, "And that's one of the things you love about me."

"Ugh. Get a room. Don't flaunt your lovey dove shit while I'm here, single." Wufei grumbled before he returned to his book, the other two smirking at him slyly.

"Technically, this whole house is our room." Trowa started, glancing at Quatra with a small smirk.

"So, technically, if we wanted to screw on this floor, right here, we can." the blond finished, trying hard not to laugh at the tomato red color the now stuttering Chinese man turned before he ran for his room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

"Be careful, okay? And make sure you call me as soon as you get to the office." Trowa muttered, frowning a little as Quatra handed Arashi his briefcase.

The blond sighed, turning to Trowa, wearing one of his better clothes. A pair of black slacks, a partially buttoned peach shirt and a light black jacket. He looked very much like a businessman, but also looked like he wasn't going to be stuck up when talking to others.

"Trowa, I'm really starting to regret telling you about that feeling I've been having. You're acting more paranoid than usual."

"Well, sue me for not liking that my boyfriend is gallivanting off across town without me." Trowa grumbled.

Quatra blushed before he smiled, leaned up onto the balls of his feet and pressed a quick kiss to Trowa's cheek, "I'm going to be fine. I've done this hundreds of times before."

"Yeah, with me to watch your back."

"Trowa." Quatra groaned exasperatedly.

Trowa wrapped his arms around the smaller male's hips, drawing him closer before he leaned down, pressing their lips together in a deep, passionate kiss that made Arashi blush and avert his gaze. Tongues swiped for a few seconds before the two pulled away, slightly out of breath. Quatra's eyes were glazed over a little as Trowa ran his calloused finger tips through his soft hair.

"I'll see you when you get home."

Blinking out of his stupor, Quatra blushed a light pink before he nodded, smiling to his boyfriend, "Yes. I'll see you tonight. Don't let Duo tire you out."

Trowa chuckled a little as the blond turned and bound down the steps and slid himself quickly into the back seat of the limo before Trowa could delay him any longer. The tall Latin male watched the limo pull away and travel down the road until it reached the front gate, turned and was gone. Once he was sure that his boyfriend had made it out of the estate in one piece, he turned back into the house and into the kitchen where Duo was making himself some ice water.

"Hey, Duo." Trowa said, moving to the table and sitting down at it.

Duo tensed for a second before he turned, looking to Trowa before the fear seemed to ebb away a little and he gave the other a small smile in return, "Hi, Trowa. Did Quatra and Wufei leave?"

"Yeah. Wufei left an hour ago, and I just saw Quatra off. Why? Were you looking for them?"

"No. Nothing like that. I just hadn't seen them since I came out of my room, and I was wondering where they were. That's all."

"Hn. How are you fairing?"

"Making small talk? Never pegged you as one to do so." Duo muttered as he swirled his drink in it's cup to cool the liquid even more.

Trowa shrugged one shoulder, placing his chin in his hand on the table as he watched Duo's twitchy movements closely, "I was just wondering. Heero woke up today."

"He did? Is he okay?" Duo asked.

Trowa smirked at Duo, making the other blush as he realized he answered that a bit quickly and earnestly than was normal for him.

"He's fine. A little shaken up, but he's restrained and Walter is seeing him today."

"So, he'll be let go?" Duo asked.

"I am not sure of that, but I am sure that Walter will find nothing wrong with his behavior. He'll most likely up some of Heero's medications, but other than that, I doubt he'll do anything that could hinder Heero coming home sooner than later."

Duo gave a small smile, shyly looking down into his cup before he nodded, "Good. Can I see him today?"

"Sure. We'll leave in a few minutes. Walter should be about done with him if he's even gotten their on time. That old man is always late for something."

Duo smiled a little again, nodding his head before his smile vanished and he tensed as Trowa's cell phone went off. Trowa smiled to him reassuringly and flipped the phone open.

"Barton."

Duo took a sip of his water to calm his nerves as Trowa talked to the other person on the line before the other male's voice and tone tensed.

"What? What do you mean he's not there? He has to be there. Quatra booked that room for him and for him alone, if he was to be moved for any reason, we were to be notified for clearance! I'll be there in five minutes, Walter." Trowa said before he hung up the phone.

"What's going on?" Duo asked, his body rigid.

"I think someone's kidnapped Heero."

"Huh?"

"Walter went to his room and he wasn't there. None of the nurses know where he is and no one has any paper work that he was to be moved." Trowa rose from his seat, pocketing his phone and going for his keys.

"I'm coming with you." Duo told him as he walked forward.

"You sure?" Trowa asked, looking at Duo closely, who nodded his head tensely, "All right. Go get dressed."

Duo bolted the stairs three at a time, disappearing into his room, not even closing the door behind him in his haste to get dressed to leave. Trowa grabbed ahold of his keys and made for the front door to get the car started while he waited for Duo. He opened the fine oak only to be face to face with a man dressed in a grey suit, perfectly ironed.

"What the hell?" Trowa growled, frowning at the man who had black hair that was neatly slicked back, "If you're looking for Quatra, he's gone for the day."

"Oh, no. You misread me, Mr. Barton. You see, I am here to see you and Mr. Maxwell."

Trowa looked at the slightly shorter male for a few seconds before his body reacted like his mind, on the defensive. No one but the four of them, and Duo's therapists, knew that Duo was here, yet here was a man that Trowa had never seen before at the door, asking for Duo.

"Look. I don't know who you are, but you better leave." Trowa threatened lowly, not liking how the man smiled a little while looking past him.

Trowa turned his head a little to see Duo at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the man in the suit like a deer caught in a pair of headlights, his body visibly trembling. Trowa's instincts screamed even louder as he quickly placed himself further into the house, closer to Duo, shielding the young man from the new person at the door.

"You better leave now before I do something you'll regret."

"Now now, Mr. Barton. There is no need to be so hasty. After all..." the man said, pausing for a second before he smiled a bit sadistically, "The Lord is a very patient man."

"What are- Ugh!" Trowa grunted as he was suddenly tackled to the ground from behind.

Trowa moved to flip him and his attacker but the person had braced their legs at his sides and had one hand pinning his neck, almost cutting off the circulation. Trowa's first thought was to see if Duo was alright until he remembered that the only person who had been behind him, or could've been behind him, _was_Duo. Trowa tried to struggle against the hold until a hard blow cracked over the base of his skull, forcing him forward onto the floor where he hit the ground hard. Trowa let out a small groan as the slight weight that had been on him lifted.

Trowa rolled himself the best he could, dazed by the double blows, his vision greying as he looked up to see Duo walking over to the man like a scolded child, head bowed a shoulder's slumped, no longer trembling.

"I'm sorry that I kept our Lord waiting." Duo murmured softly, not flinching as the man pat his shoulder.

"You did perfect, D. Now, get him into my car."

"Yes, sir." Duo murmured against before he turned to Trowa.

"D-Duo?" Trowa grunted out the best he could, trying to fight the darkness threatening to consume him.

He closed his eyes, unable to take the bright light that had been nothing to him before as he was lifted off the floor. Before Trowa passed out, he heard Duo's voice murmuring in his ear in that small voice he did when he was scared half to death.

"I'm sorry, Trowa..."

With that final coherent thought, Trowa felt his consciousness slip away, and he was plunged into darkness that seemed, to him, to be almost eternal.

* * *

**And with that... PLOT TWIST! What the hell is doing on with Duo? He's working for the men who kidnapped him? What's going to happen to the three? What are the other two going to do to help them? Who is this Lord that everyone is talking about? Find out in Chapter 16. Reviews are loved and make for amazing inspiration!**


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing save for a few OCs and maybe the plot.

**Reviewer's Corner:**

_**Thank you, everyone, for your reviews. They are what keep me going. There's only a few chapters left and we find out more!**_

* * *

**Chapter 16**

"T-wa."

The darkness was comfortable, almost welcoming but there was a far away sound that kept bugging him in the middle of his comfort. He didn't want to wake up from his sleep, or what he percieved as sleeping.

"Trowa!"

That noise again. He couldn't stand it disturbing him. Swimming out of the darkness, emerald green eyes slowly opened to see he was in a dimly lit room, only one light that was above his head. Moving his body a little, he found himself strapped to a chair with a three inch thick line of rope. It looked like rope used on sailing ships, or old pirate movie rope. He started to pull against the ropes, only to wince as the rope gave him a slight bit of a burn on his upper arm.

"Trowa."

Trowa turned to the call of his name, careening his neck to see, slightly beside him, also tied the same way to a chair, was Quatra. The blond looked at Trowa worriedly, blood dribbling down the sides of his lip from where it was cut open by a blow to the face. His hair was dirty, his clothes were ripped, telling Trowa that the small blond didn't go down without a fight.

"Quatra? What are you doing here?"

Quatra shook his head, looking torn before he spat out a mouthfull of blood in front of him before he straightened back in his chair a little.

"I don't know. I was coming home from my meeting, and before we could fully pull into the driveway, my driver stopped. When he didn't explain right away, I got out and found Arashi with his throat slit beside the car. I barely put up a fight. Duo attacked me from behind, as if he was going to kill me…"

Trowa stared at Quatra for a little bit before he swallowed, "Duo attacked me, too. He knocked me out."

"Same here." Came a grumbling voice beyond Quatra.

Trowa strained his eyes to see Wufei beside Quatra. He didn't look any better than the blond heir. His face was blue in some places, one of his eyes were swollen shut with a horrendious blue bruise already forming on it. His face and shirt were covered in blood from a broken nose.

"Duo attacked you, too?" Trowa asked softly.

"When I got back to the compound. That call from the Commander was a fake. She knew nothing about any new reqruits, and sent me back to the mansion. I saw Arashi dead in the drive way and went on the defensive, but it wasn't enough as Duo vaulted over the cars, like a fucking cat, and tackled me to the ground. I fought back the best I could, but I am ashamed to admit that I didn't put my best effort into my defense because it was Duo. I don't get what's going on. Maxwell was working with these people the whole time?"

"Well… not the whole time."

The three tensed as a smooth, but older sounding voice said from the shadows, where they couldn't see them. Trowa tilted his head, thinking before it was like everything came crashing down around him as he recognized the voice.

"Pagen?" Trowa asked softly, straining his eyes in the dark but that proved unnecissary as Pagen stepped into the light.

The man looked, as he always did, old, worn out, and mild mannered. His suit, like the suit of the man who was at the door when Trowa opened it, was pressed and ironed properly, as if he were going on a very important meeting.

"Pagen? You're behind all of this?" Wufei demanded.

"No, Mr. Chang. I am merely here to over see."

"Over see what?" Quatra demanded, fronwing, "What did you do to Duo?"

"for the five years that we've had Mr. Maxwell in our custody, we trained him." Pagen said, his hands finding refuge in his pockets.

"Trained him?" Trowa asked.

"Yes. You see, the human mind is so easy to break under the right circumstances."

The four flinched as all the lights were suddenly thrown on, illuminating the whole room. Trowa looked around as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light. There were dozens of men, all dressed like Pagen, standing around them, as well as large, bullish thugs, like the ones Trowa remembered capturing as a Preventer before they found Duo. Trowa turned his head to the other side to see Heero was still unconcious, strapped to the chair, not by rope like the rest of them, but metal cuffs made into the chair that looked to be made of the same metal.

"Where's Duo?" Wufei demanded, glaring at Pagen.

"He is here." Pagen said, turning to show the small, frail looking young man that was Duo, standing with his arms in front of him, head bowed as if ashamed and trembling like a leaf.

"What did you do to him?" Quatra demanded, tears filling his eyes then sliding down the side of his face as he looked at the sight before him.

"It's quite a story, that. You see, in the five years that we worked on Mr. Maxwell's training, we could not get him to obey us like he was suppose to. Every time we would get close to getting what we needed from him, it was like he could suddenly see someone else that would tell prevent him from listening to us, blocking all our attempts."

"Solo…" Trowa muttered softly.

"Yes, the name Solo had been uttered for a long time. It wasn't until Agent S went to try one last option on him to get him to co-operate when all the answers suddenly became clear. To keep his mind from breaking down while we used sensory deprevation on him, he instinctively created, what some psychologists call a 'Imaginary Friend.' This 'friend' of Maxwells, made sure he kept his wits about him, and made it almost impossible for us to break him further. So, we allowed you four to take him, in hopes we could continue."

"Continue?" Trowa asked, frowning deeply at Pagen who turned his head to look at Duo.

"We'd hoped you would send him to a Mental Institution in hopes of helping him regain his former self, but what we didn't expect was for Mr. Yuy to follow him there, but it plaied out into our plans perfectly, despite the set back. Mr. Maxwell became docile, calm and felt safe with Yuy around, and Solo was slowly starting to fade away."

"That's when Duo started singing again…" Quatra muttered softly, remembering the reports on Duo from the nurses.

"Precisely. With Yuy around, Mr. Maxwell felt safe enough to start weining himself off the dependance that he had for Solo, so, when the time was right, we sent one of our agents into the Institute to force the process forward."

"That's why you locked him in that room…"

Everyone's head snapped around to see Heero was now awake, looking livid from where he was still strapped to the chair. Depsite the surprise, Pagen continued with his story.

"Exactly. With that last episode of Deprivation, Duo's subconcious couldn't keep hold of Solo anymore, and Solo was gone. It worked perfectly into our plans, especially after you all took him out of the Institute and gave him a computer. We decided to use something that none of you would notice to be us training him."

"What?" Wufei demanded, frowning deeply.

"His music… You all trained him to react to cues from the music he listened to." Heero said, sounding almost breathless as his anger built.

"Precisely. It was very easy, really. It worked better than any of our old techniques, even letting the men have their turns with him. It was something so simple that broke him and allowed us to keep his training going. His love for you, Mr. Yuy. His trust and love of your allowed him to start pushing away from Solo just enough to where we could push him a little further."

"Then why was he always so scared of me?"

"It was how we wanted you to see him. We wanted him to see all of you as a threat, and that he shouldn't trust any of you. Deep down, below his training, he trusted you all with his life, which is why he hardly ever made a motion to leave your protections. There was just one problem with getting our plan under way."

"Heero." Trowa murmured softly.

"Good deduction, Mr. Barton. Duo's attraction to Mr. Yuy would prevent him from preforming his duties in capturing all of you. So, his first mission was to get Mr. Yuy to get himself out of the picture."

"Yuy's suicide attempt was all apart of your plan?" Wufei demanded, tugging on his bonds.

"We knew of Yuy's mutual attraction to Maxwell and also how aggressive his second personality was. All we needed to do was push Yuy in the right direction."

"By having Duo show deeper trust in one or three of us but none for Heero…" Trowa muttered, glaring hard at the old man, "But why? Why did you need Duo to get all of us?"

"Because it's all apart of my plan."

Four heads snapped to the left as the other men in the room lowered their heads in respect, Duo moving to a kneeling position, trembling even more as, flanked by the man Trowa had met and the man known only as 'Smith', dressed in a turqoise business suit, was Relena. Once she was fully in the light, everyone raised their heads, but Duo didn't move.

"You disgraceful onna! What the hell have you done?" Wufei demanded, pulling at his bonds, cutting into his own wrists.

"Making sure her position in the world is never changed." Came another new voice before there was a grunting noise as two new large thugs came into the light and tossed something before them, wrapped in tight rope, his silver hair slightly caught in the wedgings of the rope.

"Zechs?"

The older male struggled a little until he was sitting up in his bonds, glaring at his own sister, "Relena plans on making Mobile Suits and starting a new war, so she cane defuse the situation and keep her title as Prime Minister." Zechs growled.

"And it's going to happen." She said, smiling in fake sweetness as she pulled a remote out of her pocket, turning to the darker corner and pressed a button.

A telavision sprang to live, staticing a little before it showed Duo, strapped into a chair the same way they were, his chair in something that looked like a large sink.

_"Details, Mr. Maxwell." _a voice said in exasperation on the video.

_"Fuck your Mother!" _the Duo on the television snarled, his voice thich, his body litered in cuts, bruses and gouges from his previous torturing session.

There was an exasperated sigh before a thug came into view, twisting a metal wheel behind Duo's chair, sending a waterfall of water over the smaller male's head. Duo thrashed in the water, trying to find a way to breath until the thug turned the water off. Duo sputtered and coughed wetly, gasping for breath like a fish out of water.

_"Details, Mr. Maxwell." _The first voice said again.

Duo coughed up water a little long before he rose his head defiantly, _"Fuck your sister!"_

The thug turned the valve again, once again dousing Duo in a waterfall until he deemed the other need air and turned it off, smirking as Duo coughed and gasped for breath, once he was able to breath, he lifted his head defiantly.

_"Well?"_ the voice asked.

_"Dig her up and fuck your Grandmother!" _Duo snarled, flinching just before the water fall onto his head again until he was coughing and sputtering once more.

_"I can see this is no way to get to you. Cut it."_ The man said as a second thug came up to Duo with a old looking blade.

_"Cut what? You keep that fucking thing away from me, or else I'll kill you!" _Duo snarled on the TV before the thug behind Duo, at the valve suddenly left his post and held Duo down.

Duo tried to thrash and get away, but could do nothing as the big man used the knife/sword to sever Duo's braid from the base of his skull. Duo let out a scream like someone had just stabbed him himself before the thug plopped the severed braid into Duo's lap. Duo screamed at the others around him, yelling out as many profanities, and death threats until his voice cracked and he couldn't yell anymore. All he could do was stare at his now gone braid that laid in his lap, tears welling up in his eyes.

_"Well?"_ the man asked.

Duo shook his head, _"Fuck you!"_

The tape went on for what seemed like forever, flashing to different torture methods that they used on Duo until they came to one where Duo's front was strapped to a table, made to sit on his knees, his hands twitching as Duo tried not to scream, but it was obvious that he was in pain from something.

_"Tell us what we want to know, and we can make the pain go away." _ The man said, but, as usual, Duo refused.

Going by the clock on the bottom of the screen, tweleve hours passed before Duo was confronted by one of Relena's men, before leaving with nothing. This went on every twelve hours until Duo was tremblind, his veins were standing out all over his body, black, due to what ever was poioned in him. He had his head on the table, and seemed to be muttering nonsense to himself. The men went to Duo again, asking the same question, but instead of being turned away, Duo's poison muddled mind rattled off everything he knew.

"You bitch! What did you do to him?" Heero demanded, watching as Duo was released from his shackles on the screen and slid to the ground like a marionette who's strings were cut.

"Mercury does amazing things when prolongly exposed to it. Thanks to this one, we got what we needed." She said, pressing another button, the screen changing to show digital blueprints of all Mobile Suits, even the Gundams, that Duo remembered and told them about.

Heero snarled, pulling on his bonds before he shook his head, "Why? You're suppose to be here influencing peace, Relena! Why are you doing this… this shit?"

"There can be no talk of peace if there is no war to threaten peace! If there is no talk of peace, I have no job. So, I am just securing my position." She said, smiling almost evily to Heero before she walke dover to him, "Though, for you, I might just leave you alive and kill the others."

Heero growled before Relena was suddenly tackled. She looked up, dazed as Duo straddled her, fist raised as if to strike her. She paled a little before one of the thugs snatched Duo by his colar, yanking him off Relena. The blond woman stood up, looking shocked as Duo struggled to get at her, his eyes no longer dead looking but full of jealousy and rage.

"I see… No matter what we do to you, you will always revert back because of Heero." She said, frowning before she nodded to one of the men, who pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Duo's struggling form.

"No! No, don't!" Heero cried, pulling at his bonds.

A deafening bang rang through their ears, making all of them stare, dazed, as Duo suddenly stopped thrashing. Duo made a small noise before he sank down to his knees, the man that had been holding Duo falling back into the floor with a bullet through his head. Duo glanced around before he quickly charged Relena again, only for S to step in front of her, pulling a smalll knife out of nowhere.

"Duo!" Heero cried, as the smaller male didn't seem to see the blade, only Relena as he ran straight into S's blade, "Duo!"

* * *

**_TEASER:_**

"The only chance we have is to take up the Gundams that they built." Trowa said, looking up at the true size replica of his Heavyarms.

"We can't let them do this..." Quatra murmured, his hand reaching up and pressing to his heart, his Space Heart feeling all the panic and fear it could.

"We can't let them... for Duo." Heero said, his voice cold and emotionless as it had been during the previous wars.

"Let's go, then." Trowa said, his own voice changing as he moved to Heavyarms.

Quatra moved to his, turning to watch Wufei using the zip line to hoist himself up to Nataku, then turned his head again to watch Heero place himself in his chair in his Wing Zero replica. Quatra felt a sting of pain in his chest, looking at the Deathscythe replica as it stood there, untouched.

"They must be stopped..." Quatra murmured, his voice becoming firm as he used the zip line to go up to Sandrock and placed himself in the seat, taking a hold of the controls, and, like coming home after a long day, the small blond could feel nothing but relief at being able to use his old friend, his weapon of peace.

Stay tuned for the next chapter. At a FF line near you!  



	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing save for a few OCs and maybe the plot.

**Reviewer's Corner:**

_**Silver: **Yeah. Believe it or not, I was going to make up a bad guy for this, but instead decided to do Relena because she wouldn't be effected by the whole economy thing for a while, and, by now, she's starting to feel the pressure of loosing her job. Wanted to make this as real as possible. XD_

**Starless: **Hee hee. You'll see. Oh, wait! You can see now!

**Vampire: **I'm glad you liked it. Yes, I did intend for the readers to be as surprised as the pilots. ^_^

**Shadow: ***Rubs the back of his neck* Yeah. Unfortunately, spelling isn't my strongest point when writing. I usually depend on spell check for those things, but there are some words that even spell check spells wrong. XD

**CJ: **And update I shall. Enjoy.

**Thank you for all your reviews. They *dramatically* spark the fire of youth that burns in my soul and demands that I not let my readers down! *normally* *ahem* ... Sorry... I was reading Naruto a few minutes ago and they just really met Rock Lee(who scares the shiz out of me... He looks like a puppet! Anyways, onto the story.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Time seemed to stop all at once. No one breathed, no one moved, and no one could stop looking at the sight. Even some of Relena's subordinates, and Relena herself, had a almost flabbergasted look on her face. Duo made a soft, whimpering noise, swallowing hard before he was shoved back by S, flicking blood from the blade of his knife.

"Duo!" Heero called, pulling at the restraints with all his might, but the metal wasn't giving.

The others watched Duo clutch the left side of his midsection, pressing to the stab wound there.

"You fucking idiot!" Relena screamed at S, smacking him hard in the face, her nails raking across his flesh, "How the fuck is he suppose to pilot the Machine now?"

S blinked at Relena in surprise, at first it was because of the smack and the way she spoke to him, but then it seemed to dawn on him what he'd done.

"I was just protecting you." S murmured softly, not taking his eyes off the irate woman.

"I didn't fucking need the protection! What the hell is with you two? You try to shoot him and now you stab him. Pagan!"

The old man flinched at her high octave but did nothing else, waiting for her to say what she wanted.

"Get N, and patch him up. Make sure he can at least pilot a little before he bleeds to death. Fitting end for a street rat, anyways." she grumbled, turning her glare to Duo, who was again visibly trembling, his face ashen as he tried to stop the blood flow as Pagan motioned to someone, who rushed forward.

The man, dressed in, yet again, a pristine, pressed suit, and a large briefcase that he set beside Duo, who seemed like he was in a trance. The man whispered something low to Duo, making Duo bow his head and allowed the man to sit him on the ground. Heero was livid, his left hand was bleeding from the cuts the cuffs made on his wrists. He moved his hand, smearing the blood over the cuffs as the man, N, opened his briefcase, took a couple of gauze pads and lifted his shirt, shoving them rather forcefully into Duo's wound. Duo winced, biting his lip as he was treated. The man then wrapped his midsection in gauze tightly then looked to Relena, nodding to her.

"Che. This is all turning into a parade of shit. Duo, we're going inside the fire!" she called, looking impatient.

Duo looked up at Relena for the first time since being stabbed and slowly, with the help of N, got to his feet, "Yes, ma'am..." he murmured mechanically, his voice as deadpan as Heero's was at one point, sending a chill down all the other pilot's backs.

"You." Relena growled as S, "You carry him. He strains himself and dies before I'm done with him, it's your head I'm mounting on my new desk."

S swallowed hard before he nodded, muttering the same honorific as Duo. S picked Duo up, bridal style and carried him twords an unseen door.

"Wait! You fucks, what the hell are you doing?" Heero demanded as Relena followed S, a few suits doing the same until the room only had the pilots, Pegan and a few of a brutish men in it.

Heero snarled at being ignored before he started to struggle more.

"Mr. Yuy. Please stop that. You're going to cut your wrist." Pagen said before he motioned to one of the brutes.

The man huffed and moved over to Heero. Heero glared defiantly at the man, who seemed lost on what he was suppose to do to keep Heero from what he was doing. That slight hesitation was just enough for Heero to use his own blood to slicked the metal and slide his left hand from it. His hand shot forward, grabbing the brute by his huge Adam's Apple and pulled his hand back hard, taking part of the man's neck with him. The man staggered back, trying to scream but the blood from the wound filled his windpipe and throat. Heero grabbed the other restraint, pulling and twisting at it until the metal finally bent and snapped under the pressure.

A loud thud drew Heero's attention from his escape to see the brute had fallen to the ground, a gurgling noise coming from him until he was silent, either drowned in his own blood, or bled too much, he was dead. Heero took the piece of his restraints he'd broken off and chucked it like a Frisbee at an approaching man, the metal finding a resting spot buried a few inches into the man's skull. The force of the throw, knocked the man backwards, where he laid, staring in shock at the ceiling, also dead like the first brute.

Heero leap from the chair, placing his foot against it before he grabbed a hold of it with two hands, pulling hard until the arms of the chair were severed from the chair with a teeth scraping screeching noise. With his two new weapons, Heero used the jagged edges to slit one brute's throat, then used the second to cut Trowa's rope before killing yet another brute. Trowa sprang from his confines now that he was free of them and rushed to Quatra, quickly untying him then Wufei. Before he could get to Zechs, Heero vaulted over the blond man and had Pagen three feet in the air, the jagged metal piece pressed close to his neck.

"Where the fuck did they take him?" Heero snarled at the man, his knuckles turning white at the grip he had on the material, the metal itself giving a rather squeaky whine as it started to bend, "WHERE THE FUCK ARE THEY?"

Pagan paled at the sight of Heero before him, making his grey hair blend in with the rest of his skin. Pointing to the unseen door the previous party had left, he trembled as the metal was pressed closer to his neck, "C deck. They're releasing the Machine, and it will only respond to a finger print scan from Maxwell."

"Why?" Wufei asked, coming up beside Heero, using his own strength to loosen the metal on Pagen's throat.

"Ms. Relena didn't want any way for this to be traced back to her. She's going to have Maxwell take the fall for what's going to happen to the world, especially when the Preventers find this place in a few minutes."

"That's why they continued to fucking train him even after he'd given them the blueprints they'd been looking for. You bastards!" Heero snarled, wanting desperately to slit the old man's throat.

"Yuy, we don't have time for this." Wufei reminded him.

Heero glared harder at Pagen, as if doing so would make the man burst into flames, which is more than what he deserved, in Heero's opinion. He let the metal drop from his hand and ran for the door Relena left through. Trowa quickly untied Zechs and the four took off after Heero. Out the door, there were two signs, one that red 'A-O' and pointed to the right then another that read 'P-Z' and pointed to the left.

"C deck... This way." Heero growled, breaking out into a run faster than he'd even ran in his left, only Trowa's long legs was able to keep stride with the furious ex-Wing pilot.

Passing Deck A then B, the ground began to rumble loudly, the sound of hard metal breaking filled the air and the wall beyond C deck was suddenly pushed out by a giant wing, that sliced up the whole building, breaking foundation and dropping asbestos on the pilot's heads. Heero shook his head free of the ruble and ran to the scene just in time to see the last of a multicolored rocket break through the last of the building, it's tail end be set ablaze and it take off towards the heavens.

"What the fuck was that?" Wufei demanded.

Heero ignored him and moved into C Deck, looking around before he spotted what, or who, he was looking for. Duo was propped against the wall and the desk where a large computer stood. His eyes closed, face ashen and barely making a sound but a small wheezing one. Heero, completely forgetting about the rocket and what it could mean, rushed to Duo's side. He picked up Duo's head, letting it roll onto his left arm as he used the right to check on Duo's wound. It was still bleeding, soaking through the pads.

"Duo? Duo, wake up." Heero murmured, shifting Duo so that less blood could run to the stab wound and kept his head slightly elevated.

Duo winced at being moved before he looked up at Heero, pure confusion on his face before he gave Heero a weak smile, "T-took... you... l-long... enough..."

Heero blinked in surprise at Duo's words, "Duo?"

"W-what... comes... after... the... fire?" Duo asked, his voice wavering between his usual voice, and the deadpan one from before.

Heero blinked yet again, not sure what Duo wanted, "What do you mean? Duo?" he called, patting the young male's cheek with his hand.

"The... fire..." Duo murmured again, his voice still wavering and sounded even weaker.

"I don't understand what you're talking about." Heero muttered softly.

The others walked into the room, looking at the sight in shock. Trowa quickly went to Duo's other side, Quatra at his feet and the last two standing near the door to be sure no one came in.

"He said something?" Trowa asked.

"He asked what comes after the fire. Then said inside the fire. I don't understand what he's trying to say." Heero murmured.

"Duo? It's Trowa. Can you hear me?"

"Too... loud..." Duo rasped, turning his weak gaze to Trowa.

"Sorry. What do you mean?" Trowa asked, pushing on Duo's wound a little.

"Can't... say... words..." Duo said, careening his neck towards Heero before he weakly lifted his hand towards the computer, "After... the... second... on... the... disk..."

"Don't move too much, Duo." Trowa said, pulling Duo's hand from where it hung in the air.

Heero swallowed hard, watching as Duo weakly looked at Trowa.

"A-are... y-you going... to d-deny... in front... eyes... Surrender..." Duo murmured.

Trowa looked even more confused as Duo turned towards the computer again.

"It's got something to do with this thing." Quatra whispered, moving to the keyboard on the desk and shifted the mouse. The glass that allowed them to see into a empty and destroyed room turned black with the word 'Password Please' flashing in big letters, "Shit... I'm not good at hacking..."

Heero raised his head to Quatra before looking down to Duo, torn between what to do. Duo shifted his gaze to Heero before he swallowed hard.

"The third... one on... the disk... C-come back... for me..." Duo said, his hands trembling where they laid.

Heero swallowed hard, "Hold on, Duo. We'll get you help."

"Third... disk!" Duo rasped more insistently, making his fingers move on their own as if-

"He were typing..." Heero muttered before he turned to Quatra, "Type in Indestructible. Now!"

Quatra jerked a little before he typed out the word, only for the word ACCESS DENIED flash across the screen, "Heero, if I try too many wrong passwords, we'll be locked out."

"Duo! Do you know the password?" Trowa asked, almost sighing when Duo nodded his head.

"Third... on... disk..." he repeated again.

Trowa looked up at Heero who seemed to be thinking before the Japanese pilot turned to Quatra again, "Try The Night."

Quatra typed it in quickly, the screen did nothing for a second before-

ACCESS DENIED!

"A-are... y-you going... to d-deny... in front... eyes...!" Duo rasped, tugging on Heero's shirt, smearing blood on it.

Heero looked at him in confusion as Duo mouthed something.

'Better way of knowing... in a world beyond controlling..."

"Are you going to deny the Savior in front of your eyes..." Heero murmured, making Duo weakly smile, "Savior. It's Savior!"

Quatra quickly punched in the word and the screen turned green. '

ACCESS GRANTED. WELCOME BACK, MY LORD'

The screen flashed to a bunch of files all over the screen, each one labeled with something different, but they were all model numbers of old mobile suits.

"D-Deathscythe... Wing Zero... Heavyarms..." Duo rasped out loudly.

"Look for the Gundams!" Heero said to Quatra, who was scanning the icons.

"There's only a file labeled Gundams." Quatra said, double clicking the icon until it came up as-

'PASSWORD PLEASE.'

"Fuck! Another password!" Quatra grumbled.

Trowa looked up in surprise at Quatra's cursing before he looked down at Duo, who was wincing in pain.

"H-Heero R-Relena..." he said through the pain.

"Relena doesn't have me, Duo. I'm right here."

"N-no... H-Heero... wah... R-Relena." Duo rasped, shaking his head before he looked up at Heero, a pleading look in his eyes, silently begging Heero to understand so he didn't have to talk anymore.

"Me 'wah' Relena... Me /With/ Relena?" Heero asked, looking at Duo in confusion, who nodded and held up his left hand, flexing the ring finger, "Married... Mrs. Yuy?"

Duo smiled weakly at Heero, nodding slowly as Quatra typed in the code. As soon as the password was accepted, the room was thrown into blackness. The pilots tensed before they had a sensation similar to the sensation one has when riding an elevator, but it was forcing to the left instead of down. When the lights came on, the computer screen was once again a Window, showing into a hanger that had the original five Gundams standing below the console.

"The whole deck moved to another hanger. It has our Gundams in it!" Quatra cried, looking amazed before he turned to the three on the floor.

Duo tugged on Heero's shirt, "S-stop... it... c-come back... 'kay?"

"No. We can deal with that later, we need to get you seen by a-"

"No!" Duo cried before he cough wetly, blood dribbling from the corner of his lip then glared weakly at Heero, "Go... now!"

"Duo-" Heero started before Duo tugged his hand pleadingly.

"Go... now..." Duo rasped.

"I'll stay with him. Tallgeese isn't in there and I don't know how to Pilot Deathscythe." Zechs murmured, walking up and kneeling at Duo's head with Trowa and Heero.

Heero opened his mouth to argue before Duo tugged on his sleeve even more desperately, "Go... now... type... my... name..."

Heero swallowed before he looked at the others, who looked at Heero with torn expressions.

"Yuy... we have to stop this before it gets too far in." Wufei muttered, sounding torn himself.

"It's what Duo wants..." Quatra murmured sadly, rubbing at his chest as he could feel Heero's heartbreak at their words.

"I know..." he muttered before he laid Duo in Zech's hands and stood up, looking at Trowa, who did the same.

"We'll finish this quickly and get Duo help, Heero. We will." Trowa said, looking at the other male, who turned and started out of the deck, moving to the door to get to the Gundams.

Wufei nodded his head to Duo before following. Trowa gently touched Quatra's shoulder as the two followed the first two.

"He's going to die..." Quatra whispered so only he and Trowa could understand him.

"No, he's not. He'll be fine and we will stop only chance we have is to take up the Gundams that they built." Trowa said, looking up at the true size replica of his Heavyarms.

"We can't let them do this..." Quatra murmured, his hand reaching up and pressing to his heart, his Space Heart feeling all the panic and fear it could.

"We can't let them... for Duo." Heero said, his voice cold and emotionless as it had been during the previous wars.

"Let's go, then." Trowa said, his own voice changing as he moved to Heavyarms.

Quatra moved to his, turning to watch Wufei using the zip line to hoist himself up to Nataku, then turned his head again to watch Heero place himself in his chair in his Wing Zero replica. Quatra felt a sting of pain in his chest, looking at the Deathscythe replica as it stood there, untouched.

"They must be stopped..." Quatra murmured, his voice becoming firm as he used the zip line to go up to Sandrock and placed himself in the seat, taking a hold of the controls, and, like coming home after a long day, the small blond could feel nothing but relief at being able to use his old friend, his weapon of peace.

Heero frowned deeply as he climbed into his respirator suit, and placed his helmet over his head, in case he needed to eject in space before he sat in the cock put if his old weapon, the feel of the Gundam felt the same as the last time he'd been in it. Like he was coming home from a long vacation. It felt good.

'Type... my... name...' Duo's rasped voice entered his thoughts, remembering what he'd said earlier.

Heero closed the cockpit doors so that the computer was facing him again. Reaching for the keyboard, he typed in Duo's name into his Gundam. The screen flashed a few times before Duo's face came up on the screen, there were bruises on his face and he looked rushed as he glanced around on screen.

"Heero, buddy, if you're watching this, then I couldn't tell you this myself for what ever reason, most likely because I'm dead but, hey, to each their own. Back to the topic-" Duo said, glancing behind him before deeming the coast clear and turning back to the screen, "I don't have a lot of time, they'll realize I've escaped sooner or later. Hopefully later. I know, you're probably thinking I'm an idiot or something for spilling the beans on the blue prints, but I have no memory of doing so, fucking bastards. Anyways, they're building a new form of mecha. They want it to be even better than the Gundams. They had to rebuild the Gundams in order to examine them for weak points and to figure out ways to remove them, so, needless to say, any shit you had trouble with in Wing before, you will not have that trouble now. Best feature, though, you will see after you've watched this. I did my own secret modifications to the suits. They built them in, but they didn't know it wasn't apart of the original plans."

Heero had to smile as Duo babbled and nervously glanced over his shoulder, it was the Duo he remembered. The Duo who made him smile when no one else could.

"Anyways, the chair you're sitting in is actually a cluster of nerve sensors, and after watching this, they will break apart and attach themselves to you, kind of like a wet suit only with those creepy ass hospital plugs. You don't have to type or use the joysticks for fighting anymore, but you will for flying. The Mecha they built as a weak point, though. It's not made of Gundanium like your suits are. There wasn't enough left to bring in without causing a stir for them to make the new Mecha completely of Gundanium. I don't know which parts are which, but I know you're smart enough to figure it out, Hee-chan. The new Mecha, as I'm calling it, Frankenstein, has similarities to all your Gundams, including weapons, but it also has the defense tactics and it doesn't operate by human control. It's completely a doll. I fixed the Zero system, your little buddy, J, forgot a zero." Duo said, rolling his eyes before he continued, "It wont drive you bat shit nor will it give you yet another personality, you're kinda stuck with the one you got right now. I made some modifications before recording this, you'll see them sometime during the fight."

"Hey!" someone yelled from the screen.

"Oh, shit. Spotted. Fight hard and well, Hee-chan. Once again, the world falls on you guy's shoulders." duo said before he reached forward and pressed a button that made the screen go black and Wing began to power up.

Like Duo said, the chair broke apart as soon as Wing started up, the things moving like snakes before finding their spot on Heero's skin until he was covered with the sticky things. Heero winced as he felt a sudden jolt through his system, like sticking his finger into a light socket before the image on his helmet changed and, instead of seeing only the black screen of the console, and the buttons themselves, but he could see out the Gundam. He turned his head, Wing turned it's head. He lifted his left arm, Wing lifted it's left arm.

Beside him, Heavyarms did the same tests he did before three faces appeared on the black screen.

"Heero-" Quatra started, sounding panicked.

"It was Duo. He modified the Gundams for us." Heero said.

"When the hell did he have time to do that?" Wufei demanded.

"Knowing Duo... these were the modifications he was telling me about in the last Eve War but never got to build because of the peace treaty. His brain must've subconsciously merged the idea into the actual blueprints, making this." Heero explained, holding up his right hand and flexing his glove and sensor covered hand, Wind mimicking him, "Duo called it his Shadow because, like a shadow, it did what ever he did..."

"Even with no way of helping us, he still helps us out..." Quatra muttered softly.

"Let's get this over with, quickly." Trowa said, pressing a button on the keyboard of his console, which started Heavyarm's rocket boosters.

"Roger that." Heero muttered, pressing his own button which sent a jolt of electricity through his spin, making him wince until he glanced at the mini console to his left that showed him what Wing was doing.

Heero straightened, so did Wing. Heero felt an idea itching and thought of how the wings would flap, like an angel, as Duo put it, and as soon as he remembered what it looked like, like reading his mind, the white wings flexed and shifted, like a bird. Heero knelt to the ground, Wing doing the same before he leap back up to his feet. Wing, mimicking it's pilot, kicked off the ground and launched itself out of the hanger and to the top of a already destroyed football field. without even forcing himself to think about it, Wing kept itself in the air by flapping it's metal wings. Once he saw the others being hoisted up by a rising floor, he couldn't help but smirked as Trowa appeared on his screen.

"Show off." Trowa grumbled.

"Hn." Heero grunted, his face going blank before he turned his head up, Wing mimicking him, "Launch." he murmured, the boosters on Wing's wings fired up, the wings curling against the body a little, like a bird doing a dive would, and rocketed itself into orbit.

Heero could feel the pulling sensation of shooting up, but couldn't move to brace himself. He was stuck in the position he'd been in when the boosters went off, but kept up by the sensors that went taught against his skin, like thousands of tiny hands. Heero couldn't help himself but laugh at the sensation until they broke through the atmosphere and his enjoyment came to an abrupt halt as the Mecha Duo warned him about was half a mile from where he was now, it's arms folded and actually seemed to be waiting for them.

"What the hell?" Trowa asked from the console.

"Is it... waiting for us?" Quatra asked, sounding nervous.

A loud beep caught Heero's attention and both he and Wing turned as one of the L1 colonies suddenly turned into a cloud of smoke and fire.

"It's placed bombs on the colonies? That fast?" Wufei demanded, looking at the inferno.

"It's got Wing's speed." Heero muttered before he reached to his side, Wing doing the same and pulled out his Thermal sword, his jaw clenching as the new Mecha drew its own Thermal weapons.

With a staff like Wufei's, a straight path of Thermal power like Wings, and a curved edge like Quatra's Scimitars, it was a merge of all their best weapons into one Mecha.

"Fuck." Trowa whispered softly as the machine mechanically moved.

"Remember... it's just a Doll. It doesn't have the fluid movements our Gundams now have." Heero said.

"Here it comes!" Quatra called out as the new Mecha moved and shot towards them.

It's speed blindingly similar to Wing's so much that only Heero was able to react in time, put himself between it's initial target, Trowa, and block the strike of it's thermal weapon. Heero could already tell that this thing was going to be tougher than any enemy he'd ever had to face before.

"For Duo."

* * *

Author's Note: *in deep, feminine, creepy voice from 'Mommy Dearest'* NO MOOOORE CLIFF HAAAANGEEERRRRSSSS!  
XD So tell me what you thought of it.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Gundam Wing. I sure do wish that I did, though.

Hey, everyone. I have been away for a while but that is because my computer died on me. Literaly. So, I am updating this from a computer I borrowed from a friend of mine. Unfortudently, this means that the updating will be slow because I have to write all of this by hand and then type it onto here when I get a chance to, which, let me tell you, is not often enough.

I apolligize to anyone that gets impatient with me, but it isn't something I can help, since I don't have a way to get money to get a new computer. The Christmas season was good to me and everyone, but it lacked the way to save money possible for me... I'm rambling.

**Silver:** Yeah. Unfortudently, spelling isn't my strong point. I don't know if the way I spell Quatra's name is because it's been drilled into my head or what, but... it could be just what I am used to doing since I don't really pay attention to how I spell the pilot's names anymore. As long as Heero has two E's instead of two I's, I tend to not notice the others. ^.^; Sorry.

**Starless:** Wow. I don't think I have seen the word coolio used to many times. Thanks.

**Cynthia:** *imagines Duo as a little monkey* XD

**Solitair:** Thank you. I am glad you are enjoying the story.

**Twilight:** Oh, of course. I wouldn't leave this.

**Caramel:** Everything will be explained eventually. I will tell you that much. All your questions will be answered... Eventually. XD

**To anyone else who reviewed**: Don't think that if I didn't put your name on here means that I haven't read and loved your review. I am allowed limited time on this computer that I am... borrowing, and I appologize for the rushed Reviewer's corner. Love you all, you're great inspiration.

As always, reviews are read (on my phone) and are adored. Now, with that out of the way, let's get to the real reason why you are here.

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Clenching his jaw tightly, Heero pushed against the invisible force that was pushing against him. The whole feeling was hard to explain, but even though there was no one in front of him, he could feel a pushing feeling against his arms like there was. It was odd, like the space suit he was wearing pulled against him to simulate the enemy suit that he was combating. Heero glanced to the console, noting how Trowa's Heavyarms finally was able to get out of the way, he changed his stance, bracing his legs into the ground. Heero let out a cry of primal exertion, shoving harder against the machine until it stumbled back a few paces. Heero scowled a little as he noted the movements and felt a nagging feeling on the back of his neck.

"Heero? You alright?" Quatra asked, worry lacing his voice, snapping Heero out of his trance-like state.

"Fine." he replied, dismissing the thoughts to regroup with the others.

The mecha turned to them, positioning itself to defend as Wufei charged forward with his double ended staff. Heero watched closely as the metal beast easily defended against the Dragon. It moved under a sweep, using it's own thermal weapon to force the staff up, creating an opening at Shenlong's middle, which a metal elbow to the gut took advantage of. Wufei stumbled back, holding his midsection where he was hit.

"What the hell was that?" Wufei demanded, rubbing the blow in the cockpit.

"It's made of metal, so it's built to be easy to handle, thus dispose of, but what ever program they have it running on or with must have an AI chip, or a very good calculation skills." Trowa said, keeping to the others to study the suit, "By the way it quickly restratigizes, it probably runs a system similar to the Zero system."

"Wonderful, but I was talking about my suit. It makes us feel the pain and force our suits do. If we're hit with an attack, we feel pain. Judging how we didn't feel like we were on fire leaving Earth, the suits are programed to know the difference between situation infliction and natural abnormalities."

"So we shouldn't get hit too many times." Quatra clarified, rubbing his arms, Sandrock mimicing him.

"Probably would be wise. We should also dispose of it quickly. Maybe all of us should attack it at once. Yuy?"

"Agreed. The faster we get rid of this thing, the better." Heero said, getting Wing into position as the mecha in front of them moved back into a defensive stance.

Charging forward first, Heero clashed blades with it. Sparks snapped and crackled from the touch of the two thermal blades. Heero twisted as the enemy leapt out of the way of Trowa's barage of bullts and missles. Quatra attempted to get behind the suit to attack, but the suit seemed to notice his presence as it let up from defending against Heero, ducking as Heero followed the arch into Quatra's blades, the two pulling out at the last second before they could hurt eachother. The suit moved to it's right as Wufei's staff came down between the of Trowa's line of fire, but it was able to keep ahead of HEavyarm's attacks. Heero forced Wing to catch up with the metal beast, clashing blades with it once more until the suit forced Heero's weapon low and a fist greeted the side of Wing's head.

Heero felt the blow as if his own head had been hit. He even saw stars in his vision. Shaking his head, Heero tried to clear his vision as the enemy rolled from him and intercepted Wufei's staf once again. Heero took a moment, watching how the suit would move, the movements reminded him of something but he could not place where he had seen such movements before.

"Why is it moving it's lower body like that?" Heero asked himself out loud.

He'd seen a lot of mobile dolls fight back but he could not recall any of them moving like they were actually stumbling like a human would it they had been hit. With that thought, Heero felt like smacking himself hard in the head. It was moving and calculating like a human because there was a human piloting it, not a program.

"Everyone, stand down!" Heero barked.

The other three suddenly halted their attacks and leapt away from the suit as if it were a snake about to bite them. They regrouped around Heero and let their mechas fall into a defensive position while they discussed what made Heero call them off.

"I don't think we're dealing with a Doll."

"What? Of course it's a Doll. You said so." Wufei said, scowling into the camera.

"I did not. Trowa said it could be running on a program similar to the Zero System, but the Zero system was never intended to be the only thing piloting a suit. It was made to enhanse the pilot's ability to control the suit, that's why J and the other Mad Five needed us pilots." Heero explained, closing his eyes as he thought.

"Then there is someone piloting that thing?" Quatra asked, blinking a little as if stunned.

"Hai." Heero grunted.

"Then why are we stopping for that? We've had no problem killing people who are piloting suits in the past." Wufei grumbled.

Heero shook his head, "Because it's movements look familiar."

"With that, the person piloting would have to already have excelent piloting skills, and maybe a background in fighting and defending their selves in combat." Wufei said.

"Like Duo?" Quatra asked softly.

Heero felt his insides freeze and time seemed like it stopped as he thought back to the familiar feelin from before. When the suit fought one on one with Wufei, the duck and elbow move was one he had only ever seen Duo do when he was fighting hand-to-hand. It was a move Duo liked to use because it almost never failed to keep him ahead of his enemies.

"That's impossible. We left Maxwell on Earth after this thing came up here." Wufei said.

Heero thought back to it. Duo could not speak when the others found him. He only made gestures and mouthed things but that was not what bothered Heero. What bothered him was the way Duo had acted. NOw that he thought about it, the injured male was not acting like himself, or the self that Relena's men had forced onto him. He was acting like he used to before he'd been kidnapped.

"I don't think that was Duo." Heero said softly.

"What? It looked like Maxwell, Even acted like him."

"Exactly." Heero said a little louder than before, "Duo was acting like Duo. When in the past year has he ever acted like himself? Like his old self?"

The others paused at Heero's words. It was true. Wufei clenched his fists tightly. Quatra pressed his hand to his chest and Trowa straightened even more where he stood.

"We have to be sure." Trowa said.

"We can't! It will kill him!" Quata gasped out loud.

"What do we do? We can't fight it, we could seriously hurt Duo and we can't let it go in case it's not Duo." Heero demanded angrily.

"Relax, Yuy." Wufei grumbled, looking into the camera again, "We could capture it instead of fighting it."

"It moved too well. Duo is evasive." Heero said flatly.

"Call Zechs." Quatra said, "If what we saw was fake, Zechs should be able to find something that would tell us it's not Duo."

"Find something? LIke what?" Trowa asked.

"I don't know! How is the imposter able to look like Duo?"

"Doppleganger?" Trowa suggested with a shrug.

"That Relena happened to find? A disguise is more likely." Heero said, shaking his head.

"Like the masks the Preventers do for under cover work!" Quatra said.

"I would've had an allergic reaction, Winner." Wufei reminded him.

"No, you wouldn't have. You're allergic to the adhesive, not the masks themselves." Quatra said, giving Wufei a confused look.

"I'm calling Zechs." Heero said, refusing to let the back and forth shit continue, "Wing, contact the control room of the base we just left."

Wing's computer screen lit up a new window in response to Heero's command. The screen displaid static until Zech's face came onto the screen.

"Heero? What's the matter?" Zechs asked, frowning.

"Is Duo still with you where we left him?"

"Yeah. He's right here."

"Check around his neck for us. I don't think that Duo is the real Duo."

"You... don't?" Zechs asked, looking confused as he looked between Heero and the Duo on the floor.

"No, I don't. Check around his neck and shoulders for the edge of a mask or something like that."

Zechs gave Heero a nodded and walked off screen. For a few minutes, Heero stared at the screen that displaied the silver walls of the room. Such an ugly color. When Zechs returned, he lifted something that was in his hand. A mask, just like they had thought. It even had the short hair that Duo had on it, in Duo's hair color.

"Yuy, what's going on?" Zechs asked, frowning softly.

"I don't know. This is getting to be all too confusing." Heero muttered, bowing his head as he thought, "That person isn't Duo, so that means that Duo is piloting the suit we are fighting. Wing, play Duo's message again."

Wing whirred a little in response and plaied the recording again. Heero watched it closely before he suddenly straightened up.

"Stop!"

The screen stopped with Duo on the screen in mid sentance. Heero watched the frozen image before he growled, "His eyes are violet."

"What?" Quatra asked.

"Duo's eyes. Their violet, but the Duo's eyes on the screen are green. It's a fake message." Heero said, scrubbing at his head in frustration.

"So that means Maxwell is piloting that suit?"

"It means that we've been tricked from the start. The reason we can feel the pain when we get hit by that thing. Someone wants us to kill eachother fighting Duo." Heero said, closing his eyes as he tried to calm himself down.

"What do we do?" Wufei asked.

Heero thought for a few seconds before he sighed, "We have no choice but to immobilize it."

"And how in thunderation are we suppose to do that?" Wufei asked, throwing his hands into the air in frestration, Shenlong mimicing him.

"Simple. Grab a body part." Heero said before he sured forward, not taking out a weapon as he did so.

The others followed close behind him. The suit didn't seem to register that they were coming at him until Heero grabbed one of it's arms and pulled it behind the suit's back. The mecha then went to get a weapon with it's other hand, only for it to be stopped by Shenlong grabbing it and pulling it behind the suit's back, too. The suit then went to try and kick at the others but Wufei and Quatra grabbed a leg, holding it down in the empty vastness of space.

"Wing, shut down the sensors for you and run off the computer." Heero commanded.

Wing blipped in understanding before the sensors snapped off Heero's suit and retreated into small holes in the floor of the cockpit. Heero readjusted his flight suit and pulled a helmet over his head.

"Yuy? What are you doing?" Wufei asked, frowning.

"Piloting like I should've been all along. Relena's men made these suits, meaning they also made the sensors that we've been using in an effort to have us destroy Duo." Heero said.

Wufei opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by warning alarms blared in the cockpits, the screens lighting up to show the words SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE DETECTED.

"Heero! Duo's suit is going to self- destruct!" Quatra gasped, eyes widdening.

Heero tensed before he typed something into the keyboard, grabbing the joysticks, he piloted Wing to hold onto the suit with one arm and the other reached for the pannel where the Cockpit was. The fingers pried open that hatch to show, inside, Duo in a space suit, helmet over his head, but didn't respond to the cockpit being forced open.

"Yuy! What are you doing?" Wufei demaned, "We have to get out of range."

"I'm not leaving him to die." Heero growled as he pressed a button on the consol that opened the cockpit doors of his own mecha, "You three get out of the way."

The three said nothing as Heero leapt out into space, grabbing ahold of a pannel in Wing's arm before he used the mecha's appendage to swing into the metal suit. After Heero dissapeared into the other's cockpit, the three released the suit and flew off to get out of the way.

Heero glanced around at the inside of the mecha before he moved to Duo. He reached forward and lefted the bowed head to look at the distant looking violet eyes that were behind the screen.

"Duo. Duo, it's Heero." he said, but Duo didn't respond, it was like he was a statue, just sitting there waiting for life to erode it away.

Heero flinched a little at Duo's expression before he pulled the sensors off of Duo's suit, not noticing that one of the sensors made a small rip in Duo's flight suit. Air began rushing out of the hole, unable to stay in it's confines. Heero sighed softly as he pulled the last sensor off, and straightened back into his standing position. He almost jumped when Duo suddenly reached up, clawing at his neck, mouth opening and closing in silent gasps for air. Heero felt a knot form in his stomach and grabbed ahold of Duo, picking him up bridal style.

Turning to leave, Heero glanced at the countdown until the self destruction. He had less than three seconds to get back to Wing and get out of range of the blast. Heero shifted Duo and grabbed ahold of Wing's arm, trying to pull his self back to the cockpit like he had before, but he wasn't moving as fast as he had been before now that he only had one arm to use.

Clenching his jaw hard, Heero let go of Wing and snatched his breathing tube that was sticking into the back of his helmet. He pulled it free and pressed down on the compression chamber. Pointing it at Duo's old suit, he released the valve and the gust of air pushed him towards Wing. Heero grunted, breathing slowly and evenly as he could but it was quickly starting to become hard to breath. Mentally, Heero had been keeping count of the countdown, seeing that he wasn't going to make it back to the cockpit before the explosion, Heero curled himself protectively around Duo as the metal monster suddenly erupted into a firey inferno.

The force of the explosion rocketed Heero and Duo into Wing's open cockpit. Sensing someone entering, Wing shut the bay doors against the inferno. Heero let out a soft cry as he suddenly collided with the hard wall of the cockpit. He looked down where Duo was passed out in his arms, breathing in quick, wheezing gasps. Weakly, Heero unlocked Duo's helmet and forced it off of his head, the act letting Duo breath in the air in the cockpit but the wheezing didn't stop. Heero swallowed thickly before he remembered no more, passing out from the lack of air.

* * *

In a dimly lit room, a man dressed sharply in a suit and tie stepped into the only source of light in the room, showing himself to be Agent J, the one that Heero had captured in the raid and questioned about Duo after they had originally found him.

"The machine has Self destructed, sir."

"And the pilots?"

"03, 04 and 05 retreated before the explosion, but 01 and 02 were still in space when it went off so it is highly unlikely they survived."

"What about the suit? Wing Zero?"

"Caught in the blaze. It took some serious damage, but other than that, it appears to be perfectly fine. The blast was not strong enough to burn through the Gundanium that it was made out of."

"Excelent. Make sure that the other three are taken care of, and see to Miss Relena."

"Yes... My Lord." Agent 'J' said, bowing to a the desk.

Leaning forward in the desk, a man with slicked back dark black hair leaned into his hands that were entertwined together, a happy look on his face as he flicked on a desk lamp to show five miniature models of the mobile suits lined on his desk. The Deathscythe model was face down on the desk between Wing Zero and Heavyarms. The man gave a soft chuckle as he made Wing Zero lay face down like Deathscythe before he turned his attention to the still standing suits.

"Two down... three to go." he chuckled to himself before he clicked the desk lamp off.

* * *

Okay. I lied. Maybe one more cliffhanger. XD


	19. NOT A NEW CHAPTER

**This is not a new chapter!**

Hey, everyone. It's Ardra. I know that a lot of you have been waiting with amazing patience for the new chapter of this fiction, but I am sad to tell you that this is not a new chapter for you all. Instead, this is going to be a little bit of what has been going on in my life. I understand that some of you probably don't want to know some of this but I figured that I owed it to you all to tell you what is going on.

I'm going to be redoing this fanfiction from scratch. Mostly because what I have already put is messed up in some places. There are repeating chapters, there are pieces missing out of some chapters and there are some that are just missing. I don't know how this happened, and honestly, I'm not too concerned about it. I am sort of mad and happy about this discover. Happy because I can redo the fic into something better, which I always love doing, and I can probably get a beta to test all these chapters out for me before I post them to make your innocent eye balls bleed. This has also made me mad because osme of the chapters that are missing are chapters that were on my old computer, and I don't have them so it's truely going to be from scratch and it might take me a little while to get them up.

That brings me to my next subject. The reason I haven't been updating anything at all is because I moved out of my parent's house suddenly last month. I am looking for a job, currently, and am couch surfing with a friend, who was nice enough to hole me up in exchange for my Food Stamps card, which I was happy to do, I mean it's free everything as long as I have money on that card, but sadly we don't have internet at my new place, so I have to walk with my laptop to the nearest McDonald's for free WiFi, which is a good twelve miles away. I appologize for anyone who will be upset by this fact, but I am honestly doing the best that I can but there are other things that I have to take care of in the real world before I can pour my entire focus onto this little project of mine.

I have someone who is interested in being my Beta, but I haven't been able to get ahold of them for a little while so if anyone else wouldn't mind being my Beta, and maybe even someone who would put their foot up my butt to get me to make chapters, I will be more than happy to have a new friend. Anyways, like I said, I'm going to be redoing this whole fiction, but I haven't decided if I'm going to destroy this copy and make a new one or if I'm going to just repost the chapters over whats already there and I'm looking for all your opinions. Leave a 'review' with your answer or PM me, I'm always looking for someone to talk to and I promise, I'm not mean, despite the hell I'm putting Duo through.

Keep looking, people. I'll have something amazing for you to read eventually, I promise.

~Ardra


	20. NOT A NEW CHAPTER! AGAIN!

**This is not a new chapter! AGAIN!**

To my lovely readers

I am pleased to inform you that I have made my decision on what I'm going to do with his fiction. I'm going to do it under another title. Mostly because I don't like the title anymore. I mean, I don't even remember why I chose that title to begin with and with this revision of this little story, it's going to be very different and be a little more organized, unlike before which it was just what ever popped into my head at the time. I'm truely sorry for those of you who will probably not read it because it will be somewhere else and you might get lost, but I promise that I'm not taking this fic down, at least not yet anyways. I'm sure once I get the new version done, I'm going to get tired of seeing this one and delete it. I hope you all read it as I'm doing a lot of changes. Some of them are subtle, but others are not. One of the major differences is going to be the title change.

And! Just because I'm evil and I want to be sure that you all know that I am not just talking through my nose, here's alittle teaser!

With that, he disappeared into the crowd of people, leaving the pilots where he'd found them. Duo stretched his arms over his head, curling them at the base of his skull in a rather lazy pose, his violet eyes not leaving the man's bald head until he was far away from them then looked to the other three, "Now I see why Heero hates these things. That guy was creepy."

"He was just trying to be friendly." Quatra offered with an unsure tone in his voice.

"Yeah, well I'm done with this monkey suit I was stuck in." Duo said in a rather bored.

"You're just wearing nice pants and a shirt. How does that add up to a monkey suit?"

"It's just an expression, Wu-bear."

"It's WUFEI!"

"I'm gonna go to my place and crash. I got an early shuttle out to L2 in the morning." Duo said as he pulled Quatra in for a hug.

"Already?" the blond squeaked as he was hugged tightly by the lithe American.

"Yeah. Don't want to keep Hilde waiting, no? She'll have my balls for breakfast." Duo chuckled when Wufei choked on what ever beverage he had snagged from a passing waiter with a tray.

"Damn it, Maxwell. Can't you ever say anything decent?" the irate Chinese boy growled as he got a napkin, wiping the drink from his face where it had slightly returned to the surface.

"Regardless, I need to get going."

"When is your flight?" Trowa asked as he rescued the blond from Duo's grasp by prying his hands from around the smaller form and pulled him to his own body instead.

"Around ten. Give me a call before then, will ya? I don't know when you'll have a moment's peace once you start on your Winner duties."

"Sure. " Quatra said with a small but sad smile to his friend, the ex-Deathscythe pilot only received slight nods from both Trowa and Wufei.

Duo turned to leave before he stopped and turned to them, "Oh! Tell Heero to give me a call if he can ever get Relena under control." He said before he waved to them, making his way out of the party by keeping to unoccupied walls until he was outside of the stately mansion.

When he finally got out of the party, he took a deep, happy breath of fresh air, glad to have been finally spat out by that little shindig. He lifted his head, gazing at the stars that were so far away now. He smiled ruefully at them; soon he would be back amongst them, another rat gnawing on the beauty that was those stars, and a few satellites. He shook his head as he began to walk down the street. It felt a little weird to be able to walk down the street and not have to worry about hiding his appearance, hair, his Gundam, his gun, or anything else that could've been used to cause acts of terrorism. It was odd for him to be able to walk so freely now, when just a year, give or take a few days, ago, he wasn't even able to go to the store without causing a scene.

The new fiction is going to be called **'Never Too Late'**. I hope to see you all again soon. I love your faces! (XD I just started watching Phillip Defranco. My room mate doesn't get it when he says that. It's funny!)

~Ardra


End file.
